


Land of Oblivion

by HouseofSannae



Series: Kingdom Hearts Ψ [9]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: All characters tagged after the prologue appear in Castle Oblivion, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Castle Oblivion as an Eldritch Location, Gen, The Castle Oblivion character tag is the delination between the prologue and the normal chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-05-20 07:58:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 51,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14890610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseofSannae/pseuds/HouseofSannae
Summary: Those least prepared for the task were the ones who most needed to go.On a mission to retrieve Ventus, Aqua and Naminé return to Castle Oblivion.





	1. Prologue

You mean you’ve been[So many are waiting{Sorry, Aqua, but}for their new(All who visit)] spying on me?<Stop…Fighting[beginning. Their] back!>Sorry, but I need{I can’t go with you (will be lost)}some time alone<Just…[birth by sleep](to oblivion)>Maybe...I should{The real me(Forget about me)is lost}fade into the darkness here(Aqua{in shadow})[Tell me – how]Aqua..[does that honour our Master’s memory]{Such a terrible darkness}[Terra?{Fight it, Terra, please!}]<put an end to me>put an end to me…

**You’re _awful_ , Aqua!**

Aqua awoke with a gasp, Keyblade in hand, Ven’s voice still ringing in her ears, before remembering where she was. Not in the Realm of Darkness anymore, but on a ‘gummi ship’, with Mickey and a much-older Riku, en route to the Mysterious Tower to reunite with Yen Sid, who could hopefully fill her in on the twelve years she’d missed.

            Twelve years.

            _Light_ , twelve _years_.

            She had been trapped for twelve years.

            Ven had been asleep for twelve years.

            Terra had been fighting Xehanort tooth and nail for control of his own body for twelve years.

            They’d lost _twelve years_.

            Aqua shook herself. This wasn’t the time to dwell on their circumstances. She still had a job to do. To find Ven’s heart and wake him up, to save Terra from his living hell, and to ~~beg them for forgiveness~~ stop Xehanort once and for all.

            She wasn’t going to make any progress on these goals if she kept focusing on her failures.

            There was a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” she called.

            The door slid open to reveal Mickey, who gave her a quizzical look upon seeing the Keyblade in her hand. “Bad dream,” she offered by way of explanation, banishing the Keyblade, and he nodded in understanding.

            “You’re safe now, Aqua. And we’re arriving at the Mysterious Tower! It doesn’t look like any of the others are back yet, though.”

            Aqua smiled, hoping he wouldn’t see through it. It wasn’t her safety that was bothering her. But again, face forwards, walk ahead. Time enough later to deal with things when the worlds weren’t in danger, when her friends were back.

            Even if everything that had happened was all her fault.

 

 

            Aqua tried to pay attention to Yen Sid’s explanation of the events of the past twelve years, really she did. But her focus kept slipping, and she was really only taking in the broad strokes.

            She had never really met the retired Keyblade Master before the Xehanort incident, but he had received her with a broad (though still intense and intimidating) smile when she arrived on the top floor of the Tower. During the one-sided discussion, she had noticed two more of the strange ‘gummi ships’ arrive at the Tower; one an arrowhead-esque shape, clearly designed by the same people who made the one Mickey and Riku had flown, and one an oblong rectangle shape. Upon spying the new arrivals, Riku hastened out of the room to greet them.

            He returned with a group of people she recognized, a dog and duck she knew were Mickey’s friends, a red-haired man that she thought she might have seen in passing somewhere, and Sora, of course, Sora so much older and taller. But her gaze was immediately drawn to the auburn-haired girl that stood in the centre of the group, hands intertwined with Sora and Riku’s.

            Impossible.

            The girl stepped forwards, a look of recognition forming on her face. “Master…Aqua…?” she asked.

            And yet.

            “…Kairi…?” Aqua asked, shocked. “What are you doing here?”

            Kairi took another step forwards, not breaking eye contact with Aqua, and raised her right hand.

            A Keyblade appeared in it. A familiar Keyblade. A Keyblade Aqua had once held the Keychain to, having received it from…

            But how could Kairi have…?

            And she remembered. A small child, terrified, placing a hand on Aqua’s weapon for reassurance.

            In her hand, she had taken the Key.

            This was Aqua’s fault.

            She rushed forwards and gave the other girl a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

            “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Kairi said in a reassuring tone. “You saved my life. Your spell saved me. And it brought me to the best home I’ve ever had, to people who love and care for me. This,” she hefted the Keyblade, “is a burden I’ll gladly bear to protect the people I love.”

            Despite herself, Aqua smiled. “Then you really are a true Keybearer. I wish I had passed you the power more formally, but…”

            “It came when I needed it most,” Kairi replied, smiling back.

            They broke their hug, and Kairi cleared her throat. “We’ve, uh, got some other people you have to meet.”

 

 

            Aqua had managed to pick up enough of Yen Sid’s lecture to understand that Roxas, Xion, and Naminé’s circumstances were unique. Still, it was strange to think that Kairi and Sora both had other people living inside their bodies; at least three, in Sora’s case. And something had seemed oddly familiar about the way Roxas talked.

            She put it out of her mind. Other things to focus on.

            “The time has come,” Yen Sid said, once the introductions were out of the way, “to retrieve the last of our Seven Guardians of Light. Master Aqua, Sora, the time has come to retrieve and awaken Ventus.”

            Aqua smiled. Ven’s heart had been safe for the past twelve years, because Sora had been taking care of it. “I can bring you to where his body is, but how do we wake him up?”

            “Master Riku shall handle that,” Yen Sid said. “The purpose of his and Sora’s Mark of Mastery exam was to give them both the power of Waking.”

            “That’s good news.” Aqua took in a deep breath, and said, “I took Ven’s body to our home, to the Land of Departure. And I engaged the castle’s defense mechanism. It changed the world entirely; Master Eraqus once told me that, save myself, anyone who visited it in that form would be lost to oblivion.”

            Her declaration was met with stunned silence from the rest of the group, until the red-haired man (Lea?) blurted out, “You’ve got to be fucking _shitting me_.”

 

 

            Naminé couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

            _Castle Oblivion?_

            The whole time, Ventus’s body had been hidden in _Castle Oblivion?!_

            She would be screaming if Lea hadn’t been loudly grumbling to himself right beside her. After his initial outburst he had refrained from swearing, allowing Riku to let go of Sora’s ears.

            “ _Three freaking weeks_ I spent in that _godforsaken_ castle trying to find the ‘Chamber of Waking’ or whatever it was. Three weeks of my life! Well. Axel’s life. Same difference. I thought it was something Saïx cooked up to keep me out of his hair! It’s _real?_ ” That last bit was directed at Aqua, who looked completely lost.

            “Well, yes? If the Land of Departure and this Castle Oblivion are one and the same, Ven’s body should be in a sealed chamber. I left him there myself.” Did Naminé hear her voice quiver on that last word? Maybe she was imagining things. Aqua was supposed to be a Keyblade Master, after all.

            Castle Oblivion. To say that Naminé’s feelings about that place were mixed would be an out-and-out lie. She hated it. Hated it with every fibre of her being. True, her experiences there hadn’t been 100% horrible, considering they included meeting Sora and both Riku and the Riku-that-wasn’t-Riku. But that didn’t really make her time there any easier to bear.

            She shivered slightly. Nothing that had happened in that place had been in her control, not even the process of restoring Sora’s memories. The idea that that hell of a castle had once been the same bastion of honour and stability the Land of Departure was made out to be in Mickey’s letter was an odd thought. But at the same time, there was something intriguing about the thought that there was more to know about the world that she came into being in, the one she would never think of as a home. If she were to go there now…

            If she were to go there now? Where did _that_ come from? What could there _possibly_ be to gain from going back?

            Closure, she abruptly realized. The knowledge that something good had come out of that dungheap of a castle’s existence. Not that her pain would be lessened if Ventus had survived unfound. But since the entire point of the Castle was to keep Ventus safe, there was a certain satisfaction she could get in knowing that at least one thing within its walls had gone right.

            “If we’re retrieving Ventus, I’ll need to go to the Castle,” Aqua was saying. “I’m the only person who can open the sealed chamber. Only Master’s Defender can open it, and I’m very sorry, but I don’t know any of you well enough to lend it.” She looked apologetic, but Yen Sid shook his head.

            “By rights, Master’s Defender belongs to you as the current Master of the Land of Departure, such as it is. However, I cannot allow you to go alone. Castle Oblivion plays tricks on the mind, and I fear sending someone in alone would be inadvisable,” he said.

            “I’ll go,” Naminé said, to the shock of everyone else in the room. “I know Castle Oblivion better than anyone else here. It’s where I came from, after all,” she added with a sad smile.

            Yen Sid raised an eyebrow. “While your logic is sound, Naminé, you cannot go anywhere without Kairi at the moment. And I believe your intent is to be the ‘active participant’, as it were, and have Kairi act as the passenger?”

            “Yes, that’s correct,” Naminé said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

            “Then considering that you have no method of defending yourself–”

            “That’s not… entirely true,” she said.

            Lea sucked in a breath and Kairi asked, “Nam, are you sure?”

            “Only that I need to do this, Kairi,” she said. She drew herself up to her full height, short as that might have been, and held out her left hand to Yen Sid.

            The stunned silence in the room was deafening as Memory’s Embrace flashed into existence with a gentle chime.

            “This Keyblade,” Naminé said quietly, “belongs to me. I have the means to defend myself, though I won’t be so arrogant to claim I have the skill to do it properly. However, I will be traveling with Kairi, who does have that skill. I’m asking you, please allow me to do this.”

            Yen Sid gazed at her, and as he did, he didn’t see Kairi. Instead, the girl who appeared before him, Keyblade held firmly in her left hand, was a blonde in a too-short white dress, determination writ across her face. He closed his eyes and nodded.

            “Very well. Master Aqua, Naminé, and Kairi shall be the team to retrieve Ventus from Castle Oblivion.” Naminé smiled, triumphant, and dismissed her Keyblade.

            “Hold on a second,” Lea interjected. “I’ve been through every floor in Castle Oblivion; I should be going, too.”

            “While I do not dispute your knowledge of the Castle, Lea, I have another task I wish you to accomplish,” Yen Sid said.

            “What other task?”

            Yen Sid raised an eyebrow. “Once Aqua, Naminé, and Kairi return with Ventus, we will extract his heart from Sora and return it to its rightful place. I had assumed you would prefer we were ready to do the same for Roxas, Xion, and Naminé when we reach that point?”

            Lea’s mouth fell open. “You… you’re serious? You’re sending me to figure out how to get bodies for my friends?”

            “Yourself, and Sora,” Yen Sid said.

            “Me?” Sora asked.

            “I should imagine Roxas and Xion would want a say in the process,” Yen Sid deadpanned. “I had originally intended to send Kairi and Naminé as well.”

            Sora flashed a grin. “Makes sense!”

            “Do you mind if I tag along with them?” Riku asked. “I feel like I owe it to Roxas and Xion, since it’s sort of my fault that they don’t–” He was cut off by Sora’s hand being placed over his mouth.

            “Stop,” Roxas said. “What Xion and I did, we did by choice. Us giving up our bodies was not your fault.” He grinned. “I’m still going to kick your ass once I get my body back, but that’s just for the principle of the thing. We’d be happy to have you along, if that’s all right?” The last bit was directed at Yen Sid.

            The sorcerer tilted his head. “If you would prefer to forego the rest period I had planned to give you upon your return from the Realm of Darkness, then by all means you may accompany them, Master Riku.”

            “What about us, Master?” Mickey asked. “What do you want Donald, Goofy, and me to do?”

            Yen Sid turned a glare on him. “You will return to Disney Castle and spend some quality time with your wife. And no, young Mouse, that is not negotiable. You know she still worries, despite the faith she has in you.”

            Mickey reddened. “Gosh, you’re right. Good luck, everyone! Let me know when we’re ready to regroup.”

            Yen Sid nodded, and turned to Donald and Goofy. “You will ensure that he arrives,” he said in a tone that might have been conspiratorial.

            Donald and Goofy both snapped into salutes. “You can count on us, sir!” they both declared.

            Kairi tilted her head in thought. “Naminé, if you’re going to be in control for the trip, we should probably switch now, get you in some practice.”

            “What do you mean?” Naminé asked.

            Kairi hummed. “I think you’ll see in a second.” She relaxed her control of her body and allowed Naminé to take control. They promptly fell over, Naminé having not controlled their shared legs in about six months subjective time.

            “Okay, I understand what you meant,” Naminé groaned. She pulled herself to her feet, a little unsteady. “This might take some getting used to.”

            There was a knock on the door on the other side of the room and an older woman poked her head through. “Pardon the interruption, but before you depart, we’d like to – oh!” She caught herself, noticing Aqua. “My dear, it’s been so long!”

            “Flora?” Aqua said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

            “Helping any way we can, dear,” the red fairy said, entering the room. “And right now that means creating Darkness-resistant outfits for all of you.”

            “I wondered where Riku got the new duds,” Sora said, grinning. “Sign us up.”

 

 

            Though she wondered why plaid seemed to be “in” at the moment, Kairi was enjoying her new clothes. She had been worried that the three fairies from Enchanted Dominion would use her old outfit as materials for the new one, but they had assured her she could keep her old clothes.

            Her new outfit was about the same colour as the old one, but instead of a dress, it was a pink sleeveless, hooded overcoat with a black trim over a white top, and white shorts, each with a burgundy trim. It was light enough that she didn’t feel uncomfortable, but sturdy enough that it wasn’t going to tear in battle. To her smug satisfaction, both the jacket and the shorts had pockets.

            The fairies had initially tried to sell her on pink-and-black plaid stockings to go with the pink and white sneakers, but she had managed to bargain them down to solid black ones. The plaid had returned as the interior of the jacket and sneakers, but since both Riku and Sora’s outfits also seemed to match the theme, she decided to let it pass.

            Lea caught her admiring her new look in one of the mirrors that dotted the side room. “Great look, but really? Cat ears on the hood?”

            “I’m not taking that from the creamsicle greaser,” Kairi shot back, smirking.

            Lea laughed. “Fair enough.” Ostensibly to protect from Darkness, but probably more to fit the theme, Lea had been given an orange and tan plaid scarf. He wore it with charm, though like the rest of his outfit it clashed with the Organization-issue boots he still refused to give up.

            On the other side of the room, Aqua had been given her own new outfit. It was almost identical to her old outfit, save for the colouring and some details. The collar was slightly higher, the lacing on her corset had been replaced with buckles, and the crossed straps across her chest had been removed. The Land of Departure emblem they had formerly held had been pinned to the left side of her chest. This, and the removal of the corset lacing, were entirely due to Xehanort. During Sora and Riku’s Mark of Mastery exam, Xehanort had used the Recusant’s Sigil to track Sora through the Realm of Sleep. Apparently, any crossed straps that formed an “X” could be considered the Sigil. Thus, the straps on her outfit had to go. She was loathe to admit it, but this did explain how Xehanort had been two steps ahead of them the entire time. She should have known better.

            Her sleeves had changed colour; instead of white, they now started at an ice blue at the top, fading into a royal blue at the bottom. Golden stitching etched out a pattern around the wrists.

            She frowned, shifting her weight. The heels on her boots had been shortened, and after so long living and fighting in the old ones she was finding the change odd.

            And she missed that extra inch.

            Due to her possessing Keyblade armour, she had managed to dodge the plaid bullet. Not that there was anything wrong with plaid, of course, it just… wasn’t her.

            Riku, ever trying to be helpful, had found a well-stocked kitchen somewhere in the Tower and had brought her food. Until the first bite she hadn’t realized how hungry she was. Hopefully she wouldn’t take long to adjust to having to eat and sleep again.

 

 

            “I should warn you now, time is strange inside Castle Oblivion,” Naminé said. “Sora was in there for weeks and he never had to stop to eat or sleep.”

            Aqua let out a brief chuckle. “Well, that’s nothing I’m not used to.” They were standing outside the Tower, getting ready to leave. The Tower’s grounds had expanded to provide docks for the three gummi ships that were berthed there; as they watched, one of them rose into the sky, carrying Mickey, Donald, and Goofy back to Disney Town.

            Sora ambled over and tapped Kairi on the shoulder, wrapping her in a huge hug when she turned to see him.

            “Feels like we just got back together and we’re splitting up again,” he said, resting his chin on her shoulder.

            “I know. I don’t like it either,” she said. Riku joined them and wrapped himself around both of them, resting his own chin on Kairi’s head.

            “It won’t be that long,” he said. “Between the three of you the Castle doesn’t stand a chance. The hardest part about it was Organization XIII, and they’re gone now.”

            Kairi nodded, tickling Riku’s chin with her hair. “We’ll be back before you know it. Still going to miss both of you.”

            “We’re going to miss you, too,” Riku said, and Sora made a noise of affirmation. “When you find Ventus, bring him back to the Destiny Islands.”

            “Destiny Islands?” Kairi asked. “Why not here?”

            “It’s a much calmer place,” Sora offered. “Plus, I’m pretty sure Mom wants to be there when Roxas, Xion, and Naminé come back.”

            “Makes sense,” Kairi smiled. “Take care of yourselves.”

            They withdrew from the hug, and Lea walked up. “Gummi ship’s prepped. We’re about ready to go.”

            “Are you taking a gummi ship?” Naminé asked. “Why not use..?”

            “’Cause I don’t know about you two, but I don’t feel like carrying three bodies through a Corridor,” Lea said. “Easier to put them on a ship.” He held out a hand to Kairi and Naminé. “Have to say, I’m gonna miss travelling with you two. Despite everything, it was the most fun I’ve had in years.”

            Kairi reached out and took his hand, then surprised him by pulling him into a hug. “You take care of yourself, too. We’re doing this to bring our friends back to life, I don’t want to lose another one in the process.”

            Lea laughed. “Kairi, we’re just going over to Radiant Garden. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

            “You’re going to Radiant Garden to ask for help from a scientist who probably has a grudge against you, since you _killed_ him,” Naminé pointed out.

            Lea started to object, then relented. “Fair point. But that’s what I have your boyfriends as meat shields for.”

            “We’re right here,” Riku reminded him.

            “And?”

            “Come find us on the Islands when you have Ventus,” Sora cut in, grabbing Lea and Riku’s arms and starting to pull them towards the Gummi ship.

            “Will do,” said Kairi.

            “Can I ask you guys to do something for me?” Naminé called.

            “Sure, anything. What’s up?” Riku answered.

            “If you run across Marluxia’s Somebody, kick him in the nuts.”

            Sora’s mouth dropped open. “Naminé! I don’t think that’s an okay thing to Absolutely I’ll do that,” came out of his mouth. “Roxas, stop _doing_ that!” Sora grumbled.

            Lea laughed. “Trust me, Sora, you don’t remember, but Marluxia absolutely deserves it. See you all soon!” And with that the three, technically six, people walked to their Gummi ship. The group of two, technically three, people watched them go, the two sharing a body waving.

            “Are we taking the other ship, then?” Aqua asked. “You two don’t seem to have armour and Sora looked incredibly confused when I asked him about Keyblade gliders.”

            “No, that one’s Merlin’s,” Naminé answered. “We’re doing something else.” She summoned and raised her Keyblade. They had discovered early on while experimenting with the Light Corridors that they could only use them to travel to worlds they had been to before. Thus, Naminé was the only person on their team who could open a portal to Castle Oblivion.

            Aqua gasped as the Light Corridor swirled into existence. “It’s safe,” Naminé said. “Apparently it was a power Keybearers had long ago in the age of fairytales. Lea, Kairi, and I rediscovered them on our training trip.”

            Aqua shook her head. “Everywhere I look, everything’s new and different,” she said with a faint smile.

            Naminé smiled back. “Hopefully not too different.” They stepped through the glowing portal.

 

 

            The imposing, beige façade of Castle Oblivion loomed over them as they stepped out. Naminé gulped, the enormity of what she was about to attempt finally hitting her.

            “You okay, Nam?” Kairi asked.

            “Honestly, Kairi? No, no I’m not. I’m probably going to need to stop for a bit to freak out halfway up the castle.” Naminé sighed, and Kairi regained control of her right arm long enough to give Naminé’s left hand a comforting squeeze.

            Aqua was looking up at the castle, an unreadable expression on her face. “Everything all right, Master Aqua?” Naminé asked.

            She blinked, having been a thousand miles away, and shook her head. “Oh, yes, I’m fine, Naminé. And please, just call me Aqua, both of you. I promise I don’t bite.”

            Naminé pushed down the impulse to ask what would happen if she wanted her to bite, considering both the circumstances and the fact that, technically speaking, Aqua was literally old enough to be her mother. It just wasn’t appropriate.

            Cautiously, they approached the door and pushed it open. They were greeted by the stark white of Castle Oblivion’s entrance hall. A door at the other end of the room led to the first floor, Naminé knew. The basement entrance wasn’t visible.

            Aqua slowly spun around, trying to get her bearings. “This is all wrong. The last time I was here there was just a staircase leading to the chamber I sealed Ven in.”

            Naminé shook her head. “These are the Castle’s defenses. Thirteen floors designed to test whoever comes through them. I didn’t understand _why_ it worked like that when I was first here, but it makes sense if it’s to make sure the right people find Ventus.”

            Aqua walked over to the only visible door and pushed on it. “It won’t open?”

            Naminé sighed. “No, because right now we’re playing by the Castle’s rules. Look up.”

            Aqua glanced towards the ceiling, and started when she saw a blue object slowly descending towards her. “Take it,” said Naminé. “It’s how we open the door.”

            Aqua gently plucked the object out of the air. It was a card, the top cut to resemble a crown. On the face of it was an image of a beautiful castle on a mountain, secured to other peaks with giant chains.

            “But that’s…” Aqua trailed off.

            “That’s what the Castle does,” Naminé explained. “Every floor is created out of our memories. That’s how the Castle tests us.”

            Aqua barely heard her. She spun around and pressed the card against the door, which shone brightly and unlocked itself. “Wait,” Naminé cried, “don’t–” but it was too late. Aqua wrenched the door open and ran through.

            “What’s wrong?” Kairi asked as Naminé clapped a hand to their forehead.

            “I didn’t explain everything! She’s not going to know how to fight!”

            “Can’t we just follow her in and help her?”

            Naminé sighed again. “I really wish it was that simple, Kairi. But this is Castle Oblivion. Nothing here is simple.” She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and followed Aqua through the door.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hello naughty children it's Aqua angst time_  
>  The first thing I'd like to say is that I wrote this prologue not two weeks before Kairi's outfit got leaked. I could have gone back and changed it, but A) I was lazy and B) it's an AU anyway. The design I used was by tumblr user nijuukoo and can be seen here: http://nijuukoo.tumblr.com/post/147858828787/jumping-on-the-what-does-kairis-bottom-half-look  
> It was the first thing that popped up on Google when I searched for "Kingdom hearts 3 kairi outfit." Well, at the time. Probably doesn't anymore.  
> The formatting in the dream sequence at the beginning was lovingly stolen from _Star Trek: Q & A_ by Keith R. A. DeCandido, wherein Jean-Luc Picard is introduced by Q to a group of superbeings deciding whether or not to destroy and remake reality as we know it. The four beings speak simultaneously, differentiated only by which brackets are placed around their text. I would have made the "you're awful, Aqua!" HUGE but I don't think Ao3 allows giant text; or at least, I couldn't find the option to do so.  
> The perennial question: Is Aqua wearing heels? Or is she wearing boots that are modeled weirdly? I landed on the side of heels, but I would rather think of them as boots, makes more sense.  
> I promise this fic won't split off into a duology like Kairi and Lea did, although I'm still going to try something new. To whit, I'm going to tag EVERY character that appears, even if they're only there for a couple of sentences. It's going to be quite a lot; they have thirteen floors to get through, you know.


	2. First Floor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, a quick note: while I was writing this fic I was worried people were going to think I was being too hard on Aqua.  
> Then Nomura was all 私のビールを握ってください。  
> So. Yeah. Every time they release more trailers for KHIII this becomes more AU.

            This wasn’t what she had been expecting.

            The picture on the card was the Land of Departure, as she remembered it before its destruction and subsequent reformation into Castle Oblivion by her hands. But this wasn’t the Land of Departure.

            What faced Aqua was a large, rectangular room, with a series of ledges rising from the bottom right to the top left. The colour scheme resembled the Land of Departure, but that was about it. There were other doors in the room, but they were all closed.

            “Right, this is just the Castle’s test,” she muttered to herself, then realized she was alone. “Naminé? Kairi?” she called, but the neither of them responded. Had they not followed her through the door?

            A motion in the air caught her attention. Another card, green this time, was floating down towards her. Curious, she plucked it out of the air and looked at it. It was the same shape as the world card she had just used, but the face didn’t depict a world. Instead, the card bore the image of two nearly identical girls, facing away from each other. One with auburn hair, one with blonde hair, one in a pink jacket, one in a white dress.

            Both holding Keyblades.

            Aqua’s eyes widened in shock. “Naminé?” she asked again.

            _Yes. I would have preferred that you waited a second, so I could explain this._ Naminé’s voice echoed in her head, and Aqua nearly dropped the card.

            “What is ‘this’?” she asked, concerned.

            _I’d kind of like an explanation, too, Nam. Why are we a card?_ That was Kairi’s voice.

            _Each floor is only formed from one person’s memories. So, if more than one person is traversing the Castle, only the person whose memories formed the floor layout can actively move around the floor. Anyone travelling with them is turned into a card by the Castle’s magic, to aid them in combat. It happened to Donald and Goofy when they travelled with Sora,_ Naminé explained. _Although, they each got a card of their own. I would guess that the shared body made for a shared card._

 _This isn’t permanent though, right?_ Kairi asked.

            _No, no, of course not. Just while we’re in floors made from Aqua’s memories._

            “What if we get separated? Am I still going to be able to find you?” Aqua asked.

            _Yes and no. You’ll probably see multiple copies of us during combat. We’ll be ourselves again once you leave the floor. I don’t know if you’ll be able to hear us if you aren’t holding one of our cards._

            Aqua frowned. “Let me test something. Say something.” She put the card down on the ground.

            Nothing.

            She picked the card back up

            – _so my foot's totally stuck in there, right? Sora’s freaking out, the dog's having a seizure, and Riku still has half a pie left,_ Kairi was saying.

            “I thought so. I can’t hear you if I’m not holding the card,” Aqua said.

            _Interesting,_ Naminé said. _That could be unfortunate in combat, especially if you need the other hand free._

 _You could always just stuff us down your shirt,_ Kairi put in.

            The silence in the room was deafening, characterized only by Aqua’s face reddening. Eventually, Naminé sighed. _Kairi, I thought we decided_ I _was the gay cousin._

            As Kairi furiously apologized to Aqua and the embarrassed Keyblade Master tried to brush it off, a hooded figure approached them.

            “Who are you?” Aqua asked, ready to summon her Keyblade at a moment’s notice.

            The figure tilted its head. “A guide.” Naminé realized it was blue and slightly translucent, which meant this was likely a projection of the Castle.

            _Is this someone from the Land of Departure, Aqua?_ she asked.

            “No one that I recognize,” Aqua answered.

            The figure held out a hand. “Welcome back, Master Aqua,” it said.

            _Well I guess they recognize you,_ Kairi commented drily.

            “Your friends are at the mercy of the cards. Master the cards, and their strength will aid you,” the figure said.

            “Aid me?” Aqua asked, intrigued despite herself.

            _You can use us in battle_ , Naminé explained.

            “You may use them in battle,” the figure explained.

            _Right, they can’t hear us,_ Kairi said.

            “How can I use cards in battle?” Aqua asked. “It doesn’t really fit my preferred style.”

            _Um. Yeah. About that,_ Naminé said.

            The figure raised its arms to encompass the castle. “In this castle, all combat is decided by the cards. Cards you pick up are added to the top of your stack. Use them, and your friends will come to your aid.”

            “What stack?” Aqua started to say, then realized there was now a deck of cards in a case on the back of her left hand. “Where did this come from?”

            _This is how combat works in the Castle,_ Naminé said. _If it’s any consolation, the Heartless have to play by the same rules._ _Try using us._

            Confused, Aqua lifted the Naminé/Kairi card. It flashed, and vanished from her hand, but Kairi reappeared, wielding both of their Keyblades, and slashed with both of them in a straight line ahead of Aqua before vanishing again.

            “The cards you use vanish, but they will reappear to aid you time and again. Your friends will never be far from you,” the figure proclaimed. As they spoke, another Naminé/Kairi card fell out of the sky. Aqua rushed over and picked them up.

            _Didja miss us?_ Kairi asked.

            “But, you mustn’t forget your own strength,” the figure continued. “First, think for yourself. Move, then use the cards.”

            Cautiously, Aqua pulled more cards out of her deck, and with each one, she swung her Keyblade at the figure. She did no damage to them, but the hits connected.

            “Well done, Master Aqua. Every move you make causes a card to disappear. If you use up all your cards, you will be unable to act. But, there is a solution. Keep using cards until you run out, and I will show you.”

            Aqua continued attacking until the deck was empty, whereupon the figure said, “You have no more cards, and lacking them, no more power. To regain that power, you must focus. Bid the cards return to you, and they will.”

            Aqua concentrated on her deck, and it reloaded.

            “Excellent. The strength of your heart has brought back the lost cards. You may recall spent cards at any time; you need only wish it. But each time you do, the cards will take longer to return. The cards are by no means unlimited. Use them wisely, anticipate the flow of battle, and choose the most effective cards. You may use any card in your deck.”

            Aqua flipped through her cards. They all bore an image of Stormfall, and had various numerical values from zero to nine in the bottom corner.

            The figure was saying something else. “The four card types you use in battle are grouped into two wider categories. The first category includes attack cards” – they indicated the cards with red backs – “magic cards” – cards with blue backs – “and item cards.” – cards with green backs. “The second category consists entirely of enemy cards, that grant you special bonuses, and also prove you have completed a floor of the Castle.” The figure held up a card with a dark grey back. Aqua couldn’t see the image on the face.

            “Cards will empower you whether you are attacking or defending. But it remains up to you to decide when to attack and when to defend. Do not forget this, Master Aqua.” The figure moved to leave.

            “Wait!” she called. “I do know you, don’t I?” Something about the figure’s bearing and voice seemed familiar. Learning from them came to her naturally. “Show me your face!”

            The figure turned, and slowly lifted their hands to their hood. Aqua gasped as the figure’s face was revealed. A man, older than fifty, with tanned skin and black hair pulled back into a ponytail. A kind, but sad face was framed by a black moustache and two scars, one across his eyebrow, one on his cheek. The man glowed with blue light.

            Aqua collapsed onto her knees. “Master… Eraqus?” she said, hardly daring to believe it.

            But the man shook his head. “I am merely a reflection, Master Aqua. The real Eraqus has long since departed this world. I am but a memory, placed here to aid you in times of distress.”

            “I don’t understand,” Aqua said. Naminé and Kairi were both silent.

            The image of Eraqus sighed. “I am a memory, that the true Master Eraqus placed here, in the event that you needed to engage the castle’s defenses and for whatever reason, he was unavailable to teach you himself. I am aware that Ventus is within these walls, and has been here for some time; though the previous intruders never located him. I presume that you are here for his retrieval?”

            “Yes,” Aqua whispered. She was still reeling, it being hard to process that she was essentially talking to her master’s ghost.

            “Then continue through this floor, and find me at the end. I will judge if you have mastered sufficient strength to move on.” The image of Eraqus started to fade.

            “Wait!” Aqua called again. “Master, is it true?”

            “Is what true?”

            “What Terra and Ven told me. Did you try to –” her voice choked off. “Did you try to kill Ven?” she continued, barely above a whisper.

            The image shook his head. “I do not have conscious recollection of events after I was created, regardless of what these walls witnessed. I am sorry, Master Aqua. I cannot give you the answers you seek.”

            Aqua deflated. “I understand,” she said. The image of Eraqus faded through the back wall, leaving a card spinning behind it. Aqua walked over and picked it up. It had a gold back, and was emblazoned with the image of a key.

            _…I’m sorry, but I think we need to have a talk,_ Kairi said. _Your Master tried to do_ what _to your friend?_

            “It’s not something you need to worry about,” Aqua said. “It was… a long time ago.”

            _Not for you,_ Naminé whispered, but didn’t press the matter further. _That card should open one of these doors. Then we’ll watch one of your memories. I feel like I should apologize in advance just in case what we see is too personal._

            “No, it’s fine,” Aqua said. She looked at the green card in her hand, and gently stuck it under the top of her sleeve, under her armour pauldron. That way, her hands were free, and Naminé and Kairi could still talk to her.

            Looking back at the gold card, Aqua scanned the room until she found a doorway with the same symbol overtop of it. She lifted the card to show the doorway and it swung open.

           

 

            Aqua parried a strike from Terra, neither really trying to hit the other hard. Across the hall, there was a knock on the large entrance doors.

            Master Eraqus, solid and not glowing blue, crossed over to the doors and made to open them.

            _So what memory is this?_ Naminé asked, and Aqua blinked, remembering this wasn’t real.

            “This is the day Ven came to live with us,” she murmured.

            “What’s that, Aqua?” Terra asked.

            “Nothing, Terra,” she said. “Just talking to myself.”

            _…Why do I feel like I’ve seen Terra somewhere before?_ Kairi mused.

            _He’s Xemnas’s Somebody, remember? Or, Xehanort possessing his body is,_ Naminé said.

            _Right, but it still feels like I’ve seen him somewhere else,_ said Kairi, but before they could muse further, Eraqus opened the door.

            “Speaking of Xehanort,” Aqua muttered as Terra walked over to watch from the balcony dividing the training hall from the entryway.

            The door opened to reveal an elderly man with heavily tanned skin. He was completely bald, save for a silver goatee. He was hunched over, as if the weight of his age was pressing down on his shoulders. His ears were pointed and his eyes were bright gold. He wore a black overcoat and white gloves over a white tunic, black pants and black boots.

            _…Those are the same boots the Organization wore. I guess that makes sense,_ Naminé said.

            “Really? How do you know?” Aqua murmured, mindful that Terra could hear her.

            It was a second before she answered. _…Trust me, I know._

            Xehanort said something inaudible to Eraqus, and the two walked off, leaving behind a blond boy in a white and black jacket with a blank stare in his deep blue eyes.

            _…That’s impossible._

            “That boy, is he okay?” Aqua asked, numbly. She already knew the answer.

            “I’ll go see,” said Terra, walking over to the stairs into the hall.

            “What’s impossible?” Aqua murmured as Terra walked away.

            _He’s…_ that’s _Ventus?_

            “I’m Terra. What’s your name?” they heard Terra say.

            “Ventus…” the boy muttered, eyes unfocused.

            _I’ll explain after the memory,_ Naminé said. _But… that was unexpected._

            _Please do,_ Kairi said, her amusement palpable. _Sounds like some crazy shit._

            “Language,” Aqua whispered, and though the two girls didn’t currently have a body she could swear they were both rolling their eyes.

            Aqua followed Terra down the stairs, and the three watched as the memory played out. Terra overloaded the boy with questions until he screamed and collapsed, the two Keyblade Masters returned, Xehanort feigned concern with the boy, and Eraqus explained that Ventus had amnesia. It was painful for Aqua, watching this back but this time studying Xehanort’s face closely, watching how the concern for his apprentice vanished the second everyone else looked away, replaced by a sneering smugness; he knew he was playing Eraqus like a fiddle.

            And they all had fallen for it.

            Eventually, the memory ended and Aqua walked back through the door, picking up another gold-backed card with the symbol of a heart on it as she did so. “Do you want to explain now, Naminé?” she asked, as she started clearing a path to the next memory room.

            _Yeah, what was impossible about Ventus?_ Kairi asked.

            Naminé took a deep breath. _Kairi… you never met Roxas in person, did you._ It wasn’t a question.

            _No, you know that. I’ve only talked with him through Sora,_ she said.

            _Well, there was something about his appearance that always puzzled everyone that ever met both him and Sora. That being that the two of them look almost nothing alike,_ Naminé explained.

            _Oh,_ Kairi said, connecting the dots. _Is Roxas… Does Roxas look like Ventus? Is that what you meant?_

            _Yes,_ Naminé said. _If I had to make a guess, I’d say that Ventus’s appearance affected Roxas’s. Their eyes aren’t quite the same colour blue, but it’s so close that you wouldn’t see the difference unless you’re looking for it._

 _…Is that why you have blonde hair instead of red?_ Kairi asked.

            Naminé was taken aback. _I... didn’t think of that. It might be. Huh._

 _I wonder why Xion has black hair, then,_ Kairi mused. Naminé had been wondering that, too, but couldn’t think of a concrete reason. Maybe Roxas, who had first seen the appearance Xion considered her own, simply liked dark hair.

            Aqua absorbed this exchange without comment. It was interesting, sure, but ultimately unimportant.

            The next door took them to the day four years later, when all three had left the Land of Departure for what would practically be the last time. Though it pained her, Aqua didn’t try to deviate from the memory; she had a feeling it would continue without her input, and Naminé confirmed that it would when she asked.

            Watching the events back with two other people did reveal some things Aqua had missed out on the first time, though.

            _That motherfucker_ , Kairi hissed as Eraqus explained the reasoning behind why Aqua had passed the Mark of Mastery exam and Terra had not.

            “ _Language_ ,” Aqua said again. “Please don’t disrespect my Master, Kairi. I’m aware now that he wasn’t perfect, but he honestly tried to have our best interests at heart. He had no idea what would happen when I passed and Terra didn’t.” _And my own attitude just made everything worse_ , she thought to herself, glumly.

            _Not him,_ Kairi said. _Did you not hear what he said about the choosing process?_

            “What do you mean?”

            _He said that he and Xehanort both had a say in who had achieved Mastery._

            “Yes..?”

            _He ALSO said that if it had been up to him alone, he would have passed Terra._

            Aqua blinked. Master Eraqus _had_ said that, hadn’t he? She hadn’t realized it at the time, but on the second time through it had stuck out.

            _Therefore, if both Eraqus and Xehanort had a say in whether Terra passed or not, and Eraqus wanted to pass him, then the person who cast the deciding vote and said he wasn’t ready was–_

            “Xehanort,” Aqua muttered, tone dark.

            _That motherfucker,_ Kairi added helpfully.

            Aqua didn’t bother to admonish her.

 

 

            That memory netted them a final gold card, one with the red and black Heartless emblem on it.

            _This will be the floor’s final test,_ Naminé said. Aqua nodded, squared her shoulders, and opened the door.

            It opened to the main courtyard of the Land of Departure. Standing at the other end was the image of Eraqus.

            “Welcome to your final lesson, Master Aqua,” he said. “One final technique of the cards.”

            “What is it?” Aqua asked. She was getting a tiny bit annoyed with the cards; limiting the number of times she could swing her weapon was a tad frustrating.

            “Do you see the numbers printed on your cards? They range from 0 to 9. Higher numbers–”

            “Means stronger cards. And when played against an enemy’s cards, the card with the higher value wins. Unless a card with a ‘0’ value is played second, whereupon it beats any other card. With respect, Master, I fought my way here. I _have_ figured this out,” Aqua said, tone measured.

            The image merely smiled. “Fantastic. But were you aware that you could stack cards to use all at once?”

            “No, I wasn’t,” Aqua said, looking over at the Naminé/Kairi card still pinned in her sleeve.

            She got the mental impression of a shrug. _I have my reasons. What he’s about to teach you is really not as useful as it sounds,_ Naminé said.

            “They need not all be battle cards. Any three cards can be assembled and used at once. This is referred to as ‘stocking’ cards. Using stocked cards all at once is much stronger than using cards individually. Try it.”

            Mostly to humour him, Aqua tried it. It worked exactly as he had said.

            “The sum of your three stocked cards becomes the value you play. The value is usually high and hard to break, and the combination attack deals a lot of damage. But these attacks are not the only benefit of stocking cards. Choose your cards carefully, and you can unleash special abilities known as ‘sleights’. Sleights come in all varieties, and each has its own unique card combination.”

            _I don’t understand why you say this isn’t useful, Nam,_ Kairi said.

            _Wait for it,_ Naminé replied.

            “But you must keep this in mind. Every time you use stocked cards, you lose the first card you picked. You cannot reload it. The lost card will not return until the end of battle. Relying solely on sleights will cause your cards to run out, which spells disaster.”

            _And there it is,_ Naminé said, tone resigned. _It’s more useful in the long run to only use single cards than to use sleights. Battles may take longer, but you won’t lose a fight because you ran out of ‘the ability to attack’._

            “Makes sense,” Aqua said, more to Naminé than to the image of Eraqus, but the image smiled at her anyway.

            “And now, for your final test,” the image said.

            “Final test?”

            “Yes. You must assure me that you have mastered the cards sufficiently to move throughout the Castle.” The image of Eraqus summoned a ghostly blue Master’s Defender. “By besting me in combat.”

            Aqua backed up a step, shaking her head. “Master, no, I can’t do that.”

            “Can’t, or won’t?” the image asked.

            Aqua stared at her hand. “Won’t,” she declared finally. “I understand that you aren’t truly Master Eraqus, but I won’t fight you.”

            The image smiled, and sadly shook his head. “…I wish it hadn’t come to this.”

            There was a flash, and Aqua reeled back, blinded.

 

 

            When she had regained her sight, she had been moved from where she was formerly standing. Now off to the side in the courtyard, she watched in astonishment as a very troubled-looking Ventus strode across towards the castle entrance.

            “Ventus, you’re alone?” came a voice, and Master Eraqus, not blue and ghostly but the solid form from her memories, walked out to greet him. “I thought Aqua would–”

            Ven sighed, and Eraqus knelt down to embrace him. “Well, what matters is that you’re home. You don’t belong outside this world yet. You need to stay here, where you can learn –”

            “In your prison?” Ven interrupted.

            _Aqua, what’s going on?_ Naminé asked.

            “I – I don’t know. This isn’t one of my memories,” Aqua whispered to her, watching the scene before her in horror.

            “What?” Eraqus said, shocked and horrified.

            “That’s your excuse… for keeping me imprisoned here, isn’t it?” Ven said, accusatory.

            Eraqus stood back up, and Ventus backed a step away from him. “What did you hear?” the master demanded.

            “That I’m supposed to be some weapon… Some kind of… ‘χ-blade’!” Fury defined Ventus’s face, and to Naminé, the resemblance to Roxas was stark.

            “I knew it,” Eraqus said, stroking the scar on his cheek. “Xehanort – he could never let it go.”

            Out of nowhere, Eraqus’s voice echoed. “ _Has the darkness taken you, Xehanort?_ ” Neither the memory Ventus nor the memory Eraqus acknowledged it.

            Like he had never been interrupted, Eraqus continued. “I failed. I had the chance to stop him and couldn’t do it. But I will not fail again!” With that, and a gasp of horror from Aqua, he summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at Ventus.

            “Master! What are you…” Ventus began, but Eraqus cut him off.

            “The χ-blade has no place in this or any world. Xehanort has made his purpose clear… and I am left with no choice. Forgive me,” he said, and the sorrow on his face was so intense that Aqua knew, deep in her heart, that he did truly mean it, “but you must exist no more!”

            Eraqus launched a powerful spell at Ventus. Ven, seeming to understand where Eraqus was coming from and being resigned to his fate, made no move to defend himself.

            But Aqua had seen enough.

            “ _VEN!”_ she screamed, and dove into the way, unconsciously flipping through her deck and pulling out a card with the denomination “0”.

            The attack canceled, the memory Eraqus gained the blue hue of the image they had spoken with, and the battle commenced.

            Aqua barely noticed what was happening around her. She didn’t notice she had played right into the image of Eraqus’s hands, she didn’t hear Naminé and Kairi trying to calm her down, she didn’t realize that all of this was a memory and there was nothing she could truly do to change the outcome. All she knew was that the man who raised her, the man she saw as the closest thing to a father she’d ever had, the man who had taught her everything she knew and whom she had trusted completely, had willingly raised a weapon against the boy she thought of as a surrogate little brother, for circumstances entirely outside of his control.

            She understood Terra just a tiny bit better.

            And the harder she fought, the less she had to think about how Ven had simply stood there and let it happen.

            The phrase “ _Just… put an end to me_ ” floated across her consciousness and she forced it away, teeth bared in fury, tears leaking out of her eyes.

            This was not the time for that.

            Later, when everything was over.

            One foot in front of the other.

 

 

            After several minutes, the image of Eraqus fell to its knees. “Hold!” he declared. Aqua, conditioned by years of hearing that command from the real Eraqus, hesitated long enough that the cloud of anger in her head broke.

            She dropped her Keyblade and staggered backwards, trying not to think about what she had just done. She felt like she was going to be sick.

            The image of Eraqus stood back up. “I apologize for putting you through that, Master Aqua. It was the only way I could convince you to fight. If my safety is a concern for you, worry not; I am not real. I do not feel pain. I am merely the manifestation of this Castle.”

            _It’s not you she’s concerned for, asshole!_ said Kairi’s voice in her head.

            “No, I am sure she is more concerned for Ventus. But she knows that he survived this encounter, and rests on the top floor of the Castle,” the image replied.

            _Wait a second. Have you been able to hear us the whole time?_ Naminé said with a mental gasp. The image of Eraqus gave a thin smile and rolled up his sleeve, revealing another Naminé/Kairi card.

            _That’s cheating,_ Kairi grumbled.

            The image approached Aqua, who by this point had sat down on a bench in the courtyard. He settled in beside her and waited for her to talk.

            It took a shorter amount of time than one would expect. “You lied to me,” she accused. “You said you didn’t know what happened between the Master, Terra, and Ventus.”

            “I did,” the image said. “But I did not lie. The memory came from the Castle itself, and I had no knowledge of the content.”

            Aqua glared at him. “Forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”

            The image nodded, accepting. “It is understandable if you do not. You will not be seeing me once you leave this floor, at any rate. My task is complete.” He held out a card with a grey back. The face bore a picture of Master Eraqus. “You have completed the first floor.”

            Aqua took the card a little rougher than necessary. “Politeness demands that I thank you,” she said, pointedly not actually thanking him.

            The image inclined his head. “There are circumstances under which politeness can be put aside, I believe. There is another matter, however.”

            “What now?” Aqua responded, letting irritation colour her words.

            “You are the rightful master of this castle. As such, you are entitled to a certain boon.”

            _Are you going to make her ask, or..?_ Kairi said, also tiring of this.

            “You may use any cards available to construct your deck, at any time.”

            Aqua started as a window opened in midair in front of her; a deck-building screen. Hundreds of cards were available, save for the grey-backed enemy cards.

            “I also have a message for Miss Naminé,” said the image.

            Aqua could feel the blonde girl’s shock though the card. _For me? From who?_

            The image took a deep breath in. “From Castle Oblivion itself.”

            Immediately all three were on guard. _…go on,_ Naminé said cautiously.

            “The Castle knows you, even diminished as you are. It deeply regrets the injustices placed upon you, its only daughter, so early on in your life. As you progress though its floors, you will be given the opportunity to remake old decisions. To stand for yourself when once you needed to rely almost entirely on others. Though it cannot truly change the outcomes of these events, the Castle wishes to give you some measure of peace, to help you reclaim what once was taken.”

            _The Castle can fuck right off,_ Naminé replied, tone cold. _I’m not its “daughter” and I don’t give a shit what it wants._

            The image of Eraqus inclined his head again. “As you wish. But the door will remain open if you choose to walk through it.”

            Aqua slowly stood up. “…I think I’ve had enough of this floor.” Kairi and Naminé echoed the sentiment. She made to walk through the door that had appeared on the other side of the room, but the image called to her once more. “Master Aqua?”

            “What?” she asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

            The image of Eraqus was unfazed. “Your Master was only human. He truly loved all three of you. But he was the type of person who put what he considered his duty above his own happiness.

            “It is up to you to decide what kind of Keyblade Master, and what kind of person, you desire to be. Farewell, Master Aqua.” With that, the image faded for the last time, and Aqua turned back towards the door. On the other side was a tall chamber with a ladder, and the exit to the first floor.

 

 

            Back in the sterile whiteness of Castle Oblivion, Aqua shook herself. What had just happened, that was a lot to parse. It would take some time to work through it all.

            But she didn’t have time. She had to find Ven.

            Behind her, Naminé walked out of the room, back in human form, and stretching. “You wouldn’t think you’d get cramps without muscles, and yet…” Kairi quipped.

            Naminé walked over and hesitantly put a hand on Aqua’s shoulder. “If you want to talk about what happened in there,” she started, but Aqua shook her head.

            “No,” she said, “I’ll be fine. Onwards and upwards.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #LetNaminéSayFuck  
> I got the idea for this fic while playing Re:Chain of Memories. Castle Oblivion is a really cool location, and I really liked the game (Probably because I played it on beginner. There's no point in playing it on any higher difficulty, you get nothing for it.), and I wanted to see/do more with it. That said, I'm going to be playing fast and loose with how the rules of the Castle actually work. I'm justifying this by saying Aqua is the Master of the Castle, and the Castle actively wants to make things up to Naminé. Also, AU.  
> The tutorial section is, of course, a slightly edited version of Re:CoM's actual tutorial, except given by Force ghost Eraqus instead of Marluxia. Fair warning to you all, there's going to be a lot of that in this fic. Every memory segment is going to be directly quoted from the games if possible, albeit with colour commentary from the characters. (This includes the punctuation. The way I write, I've found, is not exactly what you'd call "stylistically consistent" with the way Kingdom Hearts games are written.) Though, I do have a few surprises planned.  
> These are my real thoughts on sleights. Again, I played on beginner, so I didn't need to be able to use them to win.  
> I didn't make up the bit about Xehanort being the person who denied Terra Mastery, by the by. In the scene that part is referencing, Eraqus flat-out says that he'd have passed Terra in a heartbeat if the decision had been his alone. Terra, apparently, was not listening.  
> I don't think there's much else to say, save that I deleted two instances of Naminé swearing in this chapter (and one in the last; "dungheap" was originally "shithole") just so the first instance of her swearing in anything I've written could be the line, "The Castle can fuck right off." Serious business. She does not like this place.  
> Also, I don't really use it all that much, but I do have a tumblr for my fanfics. https://houseofsannae.tumblr.com/  
> It's a side blog, so I can't follow people with it, but if you have questions or want me to clarify ambiguous things, that'd be the place to do it. I'm also thinking of writing "author's commentary" sorts of things? Like, going through the fics I've already published and discussing my thought process behind the choices I made, or the jokes/references I made, or pointing out what was foreshadowing (for things that already happened, of course, not for stuff I haven't written yet; gotta keep some secrets!), or deliberate callbacks. If/when I decide to do those, they'll be posted there.  
> I think that's it, see you all in a week!


	3. Second Floor

            “Wait,” Naminé said as they approached the next door. “Let me go through your deck. If you can use any cards the Castle can generate, I should be able to optimize your build.”

            “Optimize how?” Aqua asked, opening the interface again and showing Naminé.

            “Well, like the guide said, you can stack cards and use them all at once. But, the Heartless will be able to do that, too. So how do you block a combo attack if you aren’t going to use sleights of your own?”

            “Zero cards?” Kairi asked.

            Naminé beamed. “Exactly!” She turned the screen around to show Aqua. She had placed five cards with a “0” value at the beginning of the deck. “Start every battle with your deck after this point. Then, when you’re in trouble or need to cancel an opponent’s move, flip back to a zero.”

            “That makes sense,” Aqua said, smiling back. “Any other recommendations?”

            “I’m going to fill in as many “nine” cards as I can. Your deck size still seems limited, so it’s not going to be very many. The deck cost will increase as you get more enemy cards and progress up the Castle.” Naminé put as many “9” cards into the deck as would fit, both attack cards and a few magic cards. Interestingly, the attack cards bore images of not only Stormfall and Master’s Defender, but also Destiny’s Embrace and Memory’s Embrace. Odd.

            As she did so, Aqua started looking for another world card. One didn’t readily appear out of the sky, so she looked around the doorframe. Finding nothing, she tapped her finger on her chin, puzzled.

            “Check your pocket,” Naminé called. Aqua raised an eyebrow in confusion, but dug a hand into her pocket and was surprised to find five cards with blue backs. However, all the images on them were distorted.

            “Um, Naminé?” she asked. “I thought there were thirteen floors in the Castle?”

            “There are,” Naminé said, not looking up.

            “Then why do I only have five more cards?”

            That got her attention. She put away the deck building screen after saving the build, and rifled through her own pockets, a look of alarm on her face. She winced as she finally found something, expression turning to fury as she withdrew three blue-backed cards of her own. All of hers had clear images.

            “Fuck you, I said NO!” she yelled at the Castle around them. Predictably, there was no response.

            Kairi reclaimed control of her arm and put a comforting hand on Naminé’s. “I know you don’t want to do this, but like you said, we’re playing by the Castle’s rules right now. And I promise, I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”

            In a rare display of anger, Naminé kicked out at the wall. “I hate this,” she muttered.

            Aqua put a hand on her shoulder. “You can get through it. You’re not alone.”

            Naminé sighed. She looked down at the cards in her hand, and frowned at a specific one. “If this has to happen, might as well get this one out of the way first.” She put the other two back in her pocket. “You showed us where you came from, Aqua, so I guess it’s my turn to show you where I came from.” She walked up to the door and held up the offending card. The door glowed and unlocked. With another sigh, Naminé pushed it open, and looked back at Aqua.

            “I never said it when we first got here, did I? Welcome to Castle Oblivion.”

 

 

            The hall within the door had the exact same structure as the rooms on the first floor, but instead of the colours of the Land of Departure, it was the barely-differentiated white of Castle Oblivion. As Naminé walked in, a pair of Shadows looked up in alarm, nearly dropping the cards they had been exchanging. She rolled her eyes and got into a ready stance.

            As she had hoped, she and Aqua were sharing the same deck, meaning it was the incredibly overpowered one she had just made, and her progress through the floor was quick. Before long, she was standing before the first memory door. Along the way, she had picked up and secreted away an Aqua card. Now, though, she removed it from her shoe, which was the only place she had been able to place it. The top of her thigh-high stockings was emphatically not an option. She placed it on the floor.

            “How are you doing?” Kairi asked.

            “…Are you going to be upset with me if I break down crying?” Naminé practically whispered.

            She could feel Kairi regain control of her face for a second to shape her face into an expression of horror. “No, no, Nam, of course not,” she said, wrapping an arm around herself. “I’m not expecting you to be fine. I would never be angry or upset with you for expressing how you’re feeling. I just wish I could do more for you.”

            “Thank you, Kairi,” Naminé murmured. “I’m just… I’m pretty sure I know what these memories are going to be, and they’re not… good ones.”

            “If you need me to take over for you, I will,” Kairi promised.

            “I don’t think it will come to that, but I appreciate it.” She paused. “Also… I did a lot of things I’m not proud of to Sora. You know that, right?”

            Kairi nodded. “I’m not upset with you for that. I know that you wouldn’t have done it if you had had a choice.”

            Naminé laughed, bitterly. “We always have a choice, Kairi.” She pulled out the first gold-backed card that she had received from entering the floor, but before she could activate the door, Kairi seized control of her body and dug in her heels.

            “No, no, I’m not letting you do that again. You don’t get to say something dramatic and push the conversation along without confronting what’s bothering you.” Kairi leaned down and picked Aqua back up. “Tell us everything, Nam. Tell us in your own words before we see it.”

            _Um… before we see what?_ asked Aqua, completely lost.

            Naminé slumped down against the wall until she was sitting on the floor, clutching the Aqua card in both hands. “That’s right, you know barely anything about me, or about what I did here two years ago.” She took a deep breath. “Kairi knows the basic gist, but I’ve never told her what I actually did. But I’ll start at the beginning for your sake, Aqua.” And so she told the story of the first few months of her life again. Kairi had never heard the story directly from Naminé before, having relied on Riku’s account.

            “...so the memories I stole from Sora were used as the basis for two Replicas. One of them was based on Sora’s memories of Kairi; she’s still with us, and her name is Xion. The other was based on his memories of Riku; he didn’t live long enough to have a name of his own. If you want to know more you’ll have to ask Riku. I think what happened between them was very personal for him.”

 _Interesting_ , Aqua said, but Kairi was frowning.

            “Nam, I know this already,” she said. “What part did you think you hadn’t told me?”

            Naminé cringed. “I’m not done. I’m not– I didn’t–” she breathed out, and started again. “Stealing Sora’s memories isn’t all I did to him.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “I mean I changed some of his memories. Twisted them, distorted them, made him remember things that hadn’t actually happened. And people he’d never met.”

            Kairi’s tone grew colder. “Naminé, what did you do.”

            “Initially, I just added to his childhood memories. Instead of your friendship being between him, Riku, and you, I added in myself. But...” her voice broke. “E-eventually, that wasn’t enough. His memories became too specific, I couldn’t fit in a made-up person, so I...” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “So I overwrote his memories of you... with memories of me. So everything he felt for you... he would instead feel for me. I’m so sorry, Kairi.”

            Her Somebody was silent.

            “Kairi, please say something,” Naminé pleaded.

            “...I think I’m pissed at you,” Kairi said, slowly.

            Naminé paled. “Wha... please, Kairi, no, please–”

            “No, I really think I am. It’s not... I’m...” Kairi fell silent, collecting her thoughts. “I’m not going to stop talking to you, or take control away from you, but right now I’m angry with you. Before you ask, no, there’s nothing you can do or say right now to make me stop being angry.” She took a deep breath in. “I need a minute. I need to just sit and be angry for a bit. Then I’ll be ready to talk again.”

            “Kairi, wait, please...” Naminé said, but Kairi didn’t respond. Naminé sniffled, tears starting to roll down her face.

 _She doesn’t hate you,_ Aqua said.

            “W-what?”

            _Part of being friends with someone is accepting that sometimes, you’ll have arguments. You’ll make the other person angry. But that doesn’t mean they’ll stop being your friend; it’s not a one-strike system. People aren’t perfect; you won’t be able to go through life without stepping on someone’s feelings, whether on purpose or accidentally. What matters is how you respond. Kairi knows you genuinely regret what you did. She just needs time to collect herself, and to let the instinctive anger burn itself out before she does or says something_ she’ll _regret._ There was a sad undertone to Aqua’s words, and it occurred to Naminé that she was likely speaking from experience.

            Naminé wrapped her arms around herself. “I wish I could have your confidence.”

            “She’s not wrong,” said her own voice.

            “Kairi?”

            Kairi exhaled, slowly. “I’m still mad. But I think I understand why, now, and it’s my problem, not yours.”

            “I don’t understand.”

            Kairi gave what could have been a smile or could have been a grimace. “I’m jealous. When you said you’d made Sora feel for you what he was supposed to be feeling for me… it made me jealous. But I thought it over, and two years ago, it wasn’t romantic between us. Or, we weren’t aware that it was. And you wouldn’t have realized that, either. Plus, even if that was your intent, it wouldn’t have worked out, considering that he’s a boy.” She sighed. “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

            “It’s okay, Kairi. And no, I don’t think my intentions were romantic. I just wanted… I don’t know what I wanted. Friends, I guess?”

            Kairi smiled. “Well, you have them now. Even if one of them is overly possessive of her boyfriend.”

            Naminé laughed. “I don’t blame you for that. Sora is a wonderful person.”

            _And he is pretty cute, too._ Both of them looked at the card in their hand. _Oh, Light, was that inappropriate? I’m so sorry!_ Aqua stammered. They could feel the embarrassment emanating from it.

            First Kairi, then Naminé, broke down laughing. It was a welcome release of tension, but eventually, Naminé stood up and dusted herself off. “And now for something much less pleasant.”

            _We’re right here,_ Aqua promised.

            “Always will be,” Kairi said.

            Naminé opened the door.

 

 

            Naminé found herself sitting in a familiar chair, next to a doll of herself in a birdcage. A tall, blonde woman in an Organization-issue black coat was walking over to her, a sadistic grin on her face.

            “Great. _This_ conversation,” she muttered.

            “Why so glum, Naminé?” the woman asked. “Is there something that’s been troubling you?”

            _Her voice is much higher-pitched than I was expecting_ , Aqua commented.

            “Are you feeling awful about tinkering with Sora’s memory? Or maybe, you–”

            “Cut it out, Larxene!” another voice called. Into the room strode–

            “Riku?” Kairi gasped, but neither of the memories heard her.

            “No,” Naminé explained. “This is the Riku Replica they made from Sora’s memories. But… he doesn’t know he’s not the real thing, yet.”

            “Naminé – she doesn’t want to remember Sora,” the Riku Replica said.

            “Is that so?” Larxene replied, amused.

            The Replica turned to Naminé. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Whatever’s hurting you, I’ll make it go away.” He took out a bright yellow ornament shaped like a star. “I swear it on this – the good luck charm you gave me.” He smiled at her. “See ya.”

            The Replica turned and left, and Larxene smirked at Naminé. “That’s just amazing. It’s almost like you completely made his heart from scratch. Nice touch with the good luck charm. I didn’t know you could use memories to transform objects like cards into keepsakes.” She bent over towards Naminé, adding in a conspiratorial tone, “You used the same trick on Sora, right?”

            Naminé felt Kairi intake a sharp breath. Larxene, unable to notice, continued, “You changed Kairi’s good luck charm with your magic, didn’t you?”

            There was a burning pit in Naminé’s stomach, but it wasn’t her own anger. Larxene, oblivious, giggled. “It won’t be long before Sora forgets about Kairi completely! And then he’ll be all yours to–”

            “He won’t forget,” Naminé said. She meant it twice over; true, it was what she had said in the actual conversation, but just as much, she needed Kairi to hear this, she needed Kairi to understand.

            “Huh?” Larxene said, which hopefully was enough of an indicator that this was what Naminé had originally said.

            “No matter how much I change his memory, Sora will never forget Kairi.” The first time she said it with resignation. Now, it was with determination. It was no longer defeatism, but a promise. “Memories of me – More false memories of me will just make his feelings for Kairi even stronger than before. Because… I’m the shadow of Kairi.” It hurt to say. Even if she didn’t believe it anymore.

            Kairi didn’t say anything. Aqua didn’t seem to have anything to add. The memory of Larxene scoffed. “What’s your problem with that? That should be your incentive not to screw anything up. Just do a good job rewriting Sora’s heart. Then you can actually be somebody – and no longer just Kairi’s shadow. You’ll be real in Sora’s heart.” The sickeningly sweet grin on Larxene’s face lingered as the scene faded, and Naminé stood up and walked to the door, the memory over. She picked up the gold-backed card left behind, and exited into the floor proper.

            Kairi spoke up. “You’re not my shadow. You’re your own person.”

            “I know that, now. Kairi, I’m so sor–”

            “Still mad. I need more time,” Kairi cut her off.

            “O-okay,” Naminé said. She felt awful.

            _Am I correct in assuming what you said was what you actually said at the time?_ Aqua asked.

            “Yes,” Naminé confirmed. “Even while I was trying to, I knew I could never replace her in Sora’s heart. She was – is – too important to him for that.”

 

 

            The journey to the next room was mostly silent, Kairi needing to be alone with her thoughts and Aqua not knowing what to say. With an air of “getting this over with”, Naminé placed the gold-backed card against the door and entered.

            It was the same room from the first memory, but a different Organization member was in the room.

            _Wait… isn’t that Lea?_ Aqua asked, confused.

            “No,” Naminé whispered. “This is Axel.”

            “You’re all he’s got left. So then, if you don’t stop this, no one will.”

            Naminé didn’t respond. “But I… it’s too late,” she said, by rote.

            Axel put on a comforting tone that both he and Naminé knew was an affect. “You shouldn’t give up just yet.” He turned and strode to the far wall of the room. “Say, Naminé. Have you noticed? Marluxia doesn’t seem to be around.”

            “What are you saying?” Naminé asked, because it was necessary. She remembered what he was getting at.

            “Just that there’s no one here who would want to get in your way.” Axel said, his back to her.

            Naminé stood up, and moved to race out of the room, but she stopped at the doorway, looking back at Axel. She sighed, but smiled a little. “I know exactly why you’re doing this, and I know it’s not for my sake, but… thank you, Lea. Thank you for at least letting me think I could fix things.” She turned around and left.

            And she didn’t notice the memory of Axel spin around and watch her leave in bewilderment. “Lea… now where did you go and hear that name?”

 

            The door didn’t lead to the exit of the room. Instead, she found herself in her memory of the Castle’s twelfth floor.

            Before her stood Sora, all of fourteen years old. On the ground between them, the Riku Replica, lying like a puppet with its strings cut; because in the moment, that’s what he was. And behind her…

            “Broke his heart. I’d say more like she smashed it, really.” Larxene came into view, the black mist of a Dark Corridor dissipating in her wake.

            “Smashed… his heart?!” Sora’s voice had started to deepen at this point, though he still looked so young. “Then… what’s gonna… What’s gonna happen to Riku?”

            Larxene laughed. _Oh… that’s grating…_ Aqua murmured. It was probably a joke, but Naminé wasn’t in the mood.

            “Oh, you’re so much fun to watch. If it’s Riku you’re worried about, then don’t. Because Riku was never really here,” Larxene taunted.

            _So… it feels like we missed some stuff?_ Aqua asked.

            “I admitted to Sora that we’d never actually met and that I was overwriting Kairi and that he’d actually promised me nothing. But at this point he doesn’t really have any memories besides my fake ones and he’s even pushed Donald and Goofy away in an attempt to get to me. The Riku Replica blames him for me being in danger because I gave him the same fake memories, so they started to fight and I… broke him,” Naminé said, dully.

            Aqua was silent for a minute. _I think I understand why you didn’t want to live through this again._

            “What do you mean?” Sora demanded of Larxene.

            “Do you really think I’m just gonna say it? That’s too easy!” Larxene replied, singsong. “Oh, what to _do_?”

            “Quit the games!” Sora yelled, and rushed at her. He swiped down with his Keyblade, but Larxene launched him across the room with a single kick. She sighed.

            “All right, have it your way, then,” she said, smirking, as Sora tried and failed to pull himself to his feet. “I know it’ll _kill you_ to hear this, but I think I can live with that. That thing lying there,” she indicated the Riku Replica, “is just a puppet that Vexen made as an experiment. No more than a toy,” she added, mocking. “It’s _laughable_ , really. It called you a fake, but IT was a fabrication all along.”

            “Not Riku? A fake?!” Sora muttered, obviously very confused.

            “Fake in every possible way,” Larxene confirmed. “It was only finished recently. How could it remember anything?” She bent down and lifted the Replica by its collar. “You get it? Its memories with Naminé were just planted, not real.” With that, she tossed the Replica to the side of the hall they were standing in. It impacted, lifeless, against the wall. “Yup. That means, all this time, it’s been picking fights with you over memories – that were counterfeit, trumped up, and completely bogus.”

            Larxene walked over to Naminé. “Isn’t that the truth, Naminé?” Naminé froze as Larxene bent down and seized her by the chin. “Oh, so cute… but behind this little face, you do _awful_ things.”

            Naminé knew it wouldn’t make a difference, but instead of flinching away like she was supposed to, she grabbed Larxene’s wrist in return and yanked her hand away. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed, holding Larxene’s mocking gaze steady.

            To her surprise, Larxene looked down at her wrist in Naminé’s hand with an expression of shock, but before she could say anything, Sora spoke up.

            “Naminé?” he asked, still completely lost.

            Larxene straightened up and turned back to him. “You’re so stupid. Don’t you get it now? That’s what Naminé’s powers are about! She can enter, rearrange, and even create new memories – of anything, even things that never happened. The girl you've been trying to protect all this time – is really a manipulative _witch_ who shackles people's hearts!”

            The word “witch” hit her like a slap across the face. She could feel the burning sensation in her stomach again. But the memory played on.

            “Then… my memories… are all…” Sora trailed off.

            “Oh, you _do_ get it! Lies, lies, all lies! Just Naminé’s illusions, nothing more. Binding you in the chains of your own memory was central to our trap.” The mocking look on Larxene’s face turned obscene. “It makes me _tingle_ to think how easily you were duped. So close to it – we were almost there,” she said, half to herself. “This was our only chance to turn the Keyblade master into our puppet, but – That jerk Axel, he used Naminé to betray us!” Larxene’s knives flashed into her hands.

            “She’s referring to him letting me out,” Naminé murmured for Aqua’s sake.

            “So now,” Larxene continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “I’m left with no choice but to eliminate you!” She started walking towards Sora, who still couldn’t rise.

            As she had before, Naminé rushed forwards and thrust out her arms, blocking Larxene from reaching Sora with her own body. “Don’t!” she said, as she had before, but this time it was an order, not a plea.

            “Huh?” Larxene said, surprised. “It’s a little late for the _witch_ to grow a conscience. Last time I checked – YOU’RE the one who fooled around with his memories, creating this mess.”

            “On your orders, because you’d have killed me if I didn’t,” Naminé hissed, off script.

            Larxene shook her head like something was buzzing in her ear. “Don’t sass me, _witch._ I should tell you that I’m in an EXTREMELY foul mood.” Lightning lanced off her body. Behind Naminé, Sora was struggling to his feet. “Thanks to you, all our plans are ruined!” She lashed out, and Naminé let herself fly away to land next to the Riku Replica, as the memory dictated.

            “Naminé!” Sora called, still trying to rise.

            “What’s this? Are you upset?” Larxene laughed. “And you don’t even actually know her!”

            “Maybe not,” Sora muttered. “But still… I made… a promise.”

            “What?”

            “A promise I made to Naminé to keep her safe.” Finally, Sora rose to his feet. “Maybe my memories are fake. But the promise is real to me.” He stumbled back to his knees, but continued. “That’s why – I’ll keep it.”

            Larxene sneered at him and scoffed. “Hmph. You’re such an idiot. There is no promise and there never was! You’re just delusional. Must you insist on playing the hero?”

            “It’s one of his fundamental qualities as a person,” Naminé murmured, still lying on the floor.

            “Whatever. If that’s the way you want it… You’re going down alone!” Larxene challenged, and started to attack Sora.

            Out of nowhere, a shield emblazoned with three circles evocative of mouse ears whipped past her face, throwing her off. Donald and Goofy ran into the room, the duck casting a Cure on Sora, and the battle was joined.

            The fight passed by in a blur for Naminé, and at the end, Larxene stumbled. “No… No! I refuse to lose… to such a bunch of losers!” An odd rippling effect started flashing around her. “I think I’m… I’m fading?! No, this isn’t… the way I… I won’t… ALLOW…”

            Larxene faded into nothingness. On the second viewing, Naminé realized how terrified she sounded.

            It was satisfying.

            Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Riku Replica also vanished, though this time in a flash of light. The memory was over. Naminé picked up the final gold card for the floor and left the room.

            As she stepped out into the floor proper, someone spoke up. “I think I understand now,” said Kairi.

            “Kairi! You… understand what?” Naminé asked.

            “Why you wanted Sora. You didn’t want him to fall in love with you, and you didn’t just want to be his friend. You wanted someone to save you. You wanted someone who could rescue you from the Castle.” Kairi’s tone wasn’t angry.

            “I… yes,” Naminé said. “I think you’re right.”

            “You thought that for Sora to want to save you, you had to be someone important to him,” Kairi continued. “But you didn’t know him well enough to realize… all you need to do for Sora to want to rescue you is to be in trouble somewhere where he can see.” She smiled ruefully. “Playing the hero is one of his fundamental qualities as a person, after all.”

            Despite herself, Naminé laughed. “So… are we okay?”

            Kairi reached over and squeezed her left hand. “We’re okay. I’m still a little mad at you, but it’ll fade with time. I forgive you.”

            “Thank you,” Naminé whispered.

            _I don’t know if this is something you want to hear, but… I’ve met actual witches. You are not a witch, even if you had strange powers,_ Aqua said.

            Naminé flushed. “Thank you. That means a lot to me, especially since we just met.”

            Aqua’s voice sounded encouraging. _One room left. Do you feel up to it?_

            “Well, I can’t exactly stop now, can I?” Naminé said. Something about the previous room had struck her as odd, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Maybe the last room would offer some clues.

           

 

            Naminé strode towards the final door of the floor. There was really only one major event left in her time at Castle Oblivion, so she was pretty confident that a memory of Marluxia would be waiting for her on the other side.

            “So, to summarize, because I’m pretty sure we’re jumping right to the end: Marluxia and Larxene were plotting a coup against the Organization. Axel killed another member named Vexen to prove he was loyal to them, but he was actually acting under orders from the Organization to eliminate them. So after Sora killed Larxene, Axel tried to attack Marluxia, who grabbed me to use as a hostage, but Sora, Donald, and Goofy showed up to break up their fight. Sora chased Axel off, but if we’re jumping in where I think we’re jumping in Marluxia still has me.”

            _I’m sorry, but I’m going to need a longer explanation when we’re done with this. And why do all these Organization people have X’s in their names?_ Aqua sounded very lost.

            “Very long story but the short answer is Xehanort,” Kairi said.

            _Of course it is,_ Aqua muttered. Naminé pushed open the door. There was a flash, and she found herself slightly in front of a man in an Organization coat with luscious, feathered, rose-coloured hair. Together, they watched Sora, Donald, and Goofy run into the room.

            “You’ve defeated Axel,” said Marluxia. He laughed. “The Keyblade’s power – how I’ve longed to make it my own.”

            _It really doesn’t work like that_ , Aqua said drily.

            “Are you sure? Seems like it’s a lot less special and extraordinary than we used to think. It wouldn’t surprise me if he _had_ managed to get his hands on a Keyblade somehow,” Kairi said, teasing.

            Sora, of course, ignored them. “Let Naminé go!”

            “You’ve no chance of winning,” Marluxia said, unfazed. He slowly placed a hand on Naminé’s shoulder. “Naminé… Erase Sora’s memory.”

            The trio in front of them gasped, but Naminé only grabbed Marluxia’s arm by the wrist, harder than absolutely necessary, and pushed it off of her shoulder. “But if I do that…” she droned, tone bored, walking though the part.

            “…That’s right. Sora’s heart will be destroyed,” Marluxia said. An odd note of vexation entered his voice. “I would have thought you’d show more interest? Is Sora not your dear, estranged friend? Did he not make a promise to protect you, if not during childhood, then in this very castle?”

            ...That wasn’t what he had said before.

            Before Naminé could start to process the fact that the memory of Marluxia had _deviated from the script of the memory_ , Goofy cut in. “His heart, destroyed?”

            “You can do that?” Donald added, alarmed.

            “I’d rather have preferred him unmarred, but he can be rebuilt – more to my liking with time. Naminé, do it,” he ordered.

            “No.” Naminé said, and as an experiment, she said nothing else.

            Marluxia lifted an eyebrow. “‘No’? What exactly do you think will happen to you, if you tell me ‘no’?”

            “Like I said the last time we had this conversation, Sora forgave me, even when I deceived him. He doesn’t really know me, not yet, not this version of him.” Naminé turned back to look at the young Sora, affection in her eyes. “But outside these walls, where the real Sora is? He’s my friend. So again, I ask you, how could I destroy his heart?”

            “What do you mean, ‘ _again_ ’?!” Marluxia demanded. “‘Outside these walls’? Ridiculous! You came into being in this castle, and you will perish in this castle.” A pink sakura petal floated down through the air and landed in his outstretched hand. In a flash of darkness and petals, a long pink and green scythe appeared in Marluxia’s hand.

            Naminé smiled. “And that confirms it. So that’s what Eraqus meant.”

            _What are you talking about? Confirms what?_ Aqua asked.

            Sora looked just as confused as she sounded. “Naminé? What’s going on?” he asked.

            “Oh, Sora,” Naminé said, still smiling. “This isn’t quite how this was supposed to go. You’re supposed to rush in, all gallant, to defend me. Well, you and Riku,” she said, nodding towards the corridor behind her where a revived Riku Replica was limping out of the shadows. “But this time, Sora? This time it’s my turn to defend _you_.”

            She spun around and faced Marluxia. “In case you need a reminder,” she shouted, tone firm, “I said, there’s no way! I won’t hurt Sora, I don’t care what happens to me! And there is nothing you can do to stop me!” She dropped into a ready stance, and Memory’s Embrace flared to life in her hand. “I won’t let the chains of my memories hold me any longer! I have a heart, I have _always_ had a heart, and I _will_ gain its freedom! You turned away from the truth because lacking a heart, you could never understand – our bonds are our strength, our friends are our power, and you will _never_ defeat me!”

 

 

            After all that buildup, the fight itself was actually so easy she felt like a god.

            There was nothing Marluxia could do against Naminé’s stacked deck. Every single time he tossed out a card, she matched it with a “9” of her own. Every single time he launched a sleight at her, she simply tossed a “0” at it right before it hit her, leaving him off balance enough for her to hit him again and again and again.

            He spent the entire fight against her on the ropes, until the bitter end. Feeling cocky and slightly mad with power, Naminé decided on the flashy finish.

            She had gathered three extra Aqua summon cards over the course of the fight, and decided to pack them into a sleight of her own. While Marluxia was reloading his deck in a blind panic, she launched the sleight, curious as to what “Spellweaver” could possibly be.

            Aqua popped back into full existence, Keyblade raised above her head, spinning in place like a figure skater. Freezing cold magic spiraled up from the ground as she spun, gathering up Marluxia and carrying him up towards the tip of her Keyblade as the magic did continual damage. A large chunk of ice formed in the air, freezing Marluxia solid, and as Aqua vanished with a bow, it shattered, taking Marluxia with it.

            A grey-backed card with Marluxia’s face on it floated down through the air, and Naminé slowly smiled.

            So this was what the Castle wanted to do for her.

            It could still go fuck itself, but she could handle this.

 

 

            “…he wanted thirteen of _himself_?” Aqua asked, incredulously.

            “Yep. Still does,” Kairi said. “That’s why we don’t know where Terra is. Xehanort’s still possessing him, though since we destroyed his Heartless and his Nobody, Xehanort and Terra’re back for good. We don’t know if that version of him still has amnesia, but it’s a moot point since it’s the elderly version of him pulling the strings.”

            Naminé had asked for a short rest period before they continued on to the third floor, needing time to process the idea that the Castle was going to allow her to change things in her memories; not change the actual memories she had, or change the events that had actually happened, but give her the control over her circumstances she hadn’t had the first time through. Kairi had taken the opportunity to bring Aqua up to speed, and this time the Keyblade Master had actively tried to pay attention.

            Aqua was pressing a hand to her forehead, head clearly aching. “I miss when things made sense,” she muttered.

            Kairi laughed. “I’m one of seven people in existence with a negligible amount of darkness in my heart, I fight shadow monsters with a magic key-shaped sword or possibly a sword-sized key, and I’m sharing a body with my own two-year-old identical twin. Things stopped making sense a _loooong_ time ago; you learn to roll with it.”

            “There’s nothing else really to do, is there?” Aqua said, smiling though she still looked bewildered. “Naminé, how are you feeling? Are you ready to go?” They had discovered upon exiting the floor that Naminé’s world cards were now distorted and Aqua’s were clear. Evidently the Castle wanted them to alternate.

            Naminé took a deep breath and got to her feet. “Yeah. Thanks for giving me a second.”

            Aqua smiled. “It’s not a problem. Much as I’d like to get through this quickly, Ven’s not really going anywhere, and we won’t be able to help him if we push ourselves past our limits.”

            “Still, thank you,” Naminé said. She looked at the next door, an unreadable expression on her face. Eventually, she asked, “Aqua?”

            “Yes, Naminé?”

            “Would it…” she paused, unsure how to phrase what she wanted. “Would it be too familiar to ask if you’d be willing to give me a hug?”

            Aqua’s eyes widened. She took in the sight of Naminé: Still a little shaken, uncomfortable in being in the Castle, hands reaching down to fiddle with the hem of her jacket, slightly hunched, definitely still tired even if she claimed otherwise.

            It wasn’t a hard decision.

            Aqua stepped over and wrapped her arms around Naminé, a little hesitantly, but the girl leaned into her embrace. Aqua could feel her shaking. She held on, somewhat awkwardly, until the shaking stopped and Naminé pulled away. “Thank you,” she whispered.

            Aqua smiled gently. There was something about the girl’s bearing that reminded her of Ven, in the first few weeks before his upbeat personality started to shine through. “Ready to move on?”

            Naminé smiled, feeling truly happy for the first time since stepping though the door. “Yes. Yes, I think I am.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So there's a thing in Kingdom Hearts fan-whatever about referring to Naminé as a witch. And it's understandable. It's what she gets called in the games. And there is such a thing as white witches.  
> But.  
> When I played my first Kingdom Hearts game, I knew nothing about the franchise other than what I knew from pop-cultural osmosis. My first Kingdom Hearts game was 358/2 Days. Going in, I didn't even know that Organization XIII were the bad guys.  
> So, knowing nothing about "Heartless", "Nobodies", "Keybearers", et cetera, I assumed that "witches" were just a thing in this setting.  
> But.  
> Going through the entire franchise, I made sure to check. The main people who, in canon, refer to Naminé as a witch, aside from herself, are Larxene, and DiZ. The heroes never do it.  
> I would never get actually upset with real people for calling her that. Kingdom Hearts is a work of fiction, and there's no real person being hurt here. But I think that context is important.  
> Okay, with that heaviness out of the way, on to discussing the actual chapter! The zeros trick works. Like, in the actual game, that's a real deckbuilding strategy, and it does work. Getting all "9"s aside from that would be difficult, which is why I gave Aqua and the girls access to all the cards the Castle can generate. If you get the sense that I'm glossing over combat as much as possible, you'd be absolutely right. It's hard enough trying to write thirteen distinct fights as the floor boss battles without adding in interstitial fights. (And honestly, writing this fic was an exercise in "how many ways can I write 'they threw cards at each other' and have them each seem different?" Playing Chain of Memories is fun. Describing the battles in Chain of Memories, less so.)  
> Naminé is lucky in that going through her memories in chronological order means that she starts with the most painful first; despite all the twists it's taken, her life has generally speaking gotten better over time. Aqua, on the other hand...  
> (oh, and one more point of clarification: it's not that Aqua met a 'witch' per se, more like she isn't aware of the difference between a witch and a certain evil fairy...)


	4. Third Floor

            Aqua shuffled through her cards, uncertain of which to use next. Her eyes widened at two of them, one depicting a desert with some sort of metal rods jammed into the ground at irregular intervals, and the other depicting a circular room filled with mirrors. She quickly shuffled both of them to the back of the pile.

            That left her with three options. A castle surrounded by creeping vine, a different castle with a garden and fountain, and an island under a rainbow.

            “Might as well do this in order,” she muttered darkly to herself. A part of her wondered why she was bothering putting off the inevitable, but she silenced it. It wouldn’t do to throw the girls in at the deep end without context, and the more of her past they saw for themselves the less explaining she’d have to do. Hopefully.

            She selected the castle with the creeping vine, and placed it against the door. “Ready?” she asked, as the door lit up and unlocked.

            “As we’ll ever be,” Naminé replied. Aqua pushed the door open.

 

 

            She found herself in a room textured like crumbling stone brick, dark with mold and age. A Naminé/Kairi card floated down out of the sky, and she plucked it out of the air, securing it in her sleeve.

            _What world is this?_ Kairi asked. _Looks like it’s seen better days._

            “This is Enchanted Dominion,” Aqua answered. “Most of the world looks better than this; quite beautiful, actually. But I didn’t wind up visiting the beautiful part until the very end of my journey here.” She picked up the first gold card from the ground in front of her and sighed. “Naminé, if you were wondering, this is where I met the real witch I mentioned. You and she are… quite different.”

            _Okay?_ Naminé said, confused.

            Aqua moved through the floor, marveling at the efficiency of Naminé’s deck design. Before long, she stood in front of the first memory door. She took a deep breath, and headed in.

            She walked into a circular chamber, lit by braziers of green flame. A throne in front of a ruined tapestry sat in a recess in the wall to her left, looking down over the lowered floor of the room’s centre. But that wasn’t what caught her attention. What caught her attention was –

            “There’s no way Terra would hurt somebody like that!”

            _Ventus?_ Naminé asked.

            “Yes,” Aqua murmured.

            “You don’t believe me?” echoed another voice, a woman’s voice, one hinting at untold power and majesty, yet couched in shadow and ruin. “That’s unfortunate, for he agreed so easily.”

            Aqua walked forwards until the speakers came into view. Ven was on the lowered floor of the chamber, talking to someone on the dais; a tall woman in black, pink, and lavender robes, holding a brown staff inset with a green jewel, and wearing a black-horned headdress over her green face.

            “That’s her,” Aqua whispered. “That’s–”

            _Maleficent!_ Naminé and Kairi both interrupted, Kairi’s tone enraged, Naminé’s terrified.

            Aqua looked over at their card in confusion. “Yes… How did you know?”

            _We have… history,_ Kairi muttered, darkly.

            _It’s a tale for another time,_ Naminé said. _You need to move through the memory_.

            “Right,” Aqua whispered, then shouted, “Ven! Don’t be fooled!”

            “Aqua!” Ven said in surprise as Aqua rushed over.

            “Terra would never do that. You know that as well as I do,” she said, but she knew full well the words were a lie. Terra had done exactly what Maleficent had said he’d done.

            _Not to criticize, but that’s not really a very convincing tone,_ Kairi said.

            _What did Terra do? Or, not do?_ Naminé asked.

            “Later,” she murmured, as Ven nodded, believing her fully just as he had done before; apparently the ability to change their memories rested solely with Naminé.

            “Ahh… The truth can be most cruel, even amongst the closest of friends. After all, one never knows the secrets of another’s heart. I’m sure you’ll agree… Ventus… Aqua…” Maleficent boomed from on high.

            Aqua gave her a dirty look, and turned back to Ven. “The Master sent me,” she said. “Ven… let’s go home.”

            “But Terra…” Ven said, not meeting her gaze.

            “Terra’s not ready to leave yet,” Aqua said. Ven still wouldn’t look at her.

            Eventually, he mumbled, “Sorry, Aqua. But I can’t go with you.”

            “What?” Aqua started to say, but Ven burst out, “It’s just… I have to find him before it’s too late!” He turned and ran out of the room.

            _Too late for what?_ Naminé mused.

            “Ven!” Aqua called, and started to run after him, but she froze as Maleficent’s voice echoed across the room again. “I see you, too, wield a Keyblade.”

            “How do you know about the Keyblade?” Aqua demanded, turning to face her.

            Maleficent smirked. “A source of power… A key that opens the hearts of men, of entire worlds… and allows one to obtain anything and everything.”

            _Okay, that’s not_ strictly _true,_ Kairi said, but Maleficent continued. “Such a power I find most fascinating.”

            “So, Terra… he really…” Aqua muttered, without emotion. She knew already.

            “ _Yes_ ,” Maleficent said, lingering lovingly over the word.

            _Really feel like this would have more impact if we knew what Terra did,_ Kairi said. Naminé shushed her.

            “Now, my dear, would you like to assist me, as well?” Maleficent asked, tone trying for enchanting, but her demeanor was somewhat ruined by the obviously-evil-ness of her clothes.

            “Never,” Aqua said, with much less energy but just as much conviction as she had the first time through.

            “I see, Xehanort was right. You are a most stubborn girl.”

            “‘Master’ Xehanort?” Aqua said because she had to, sarcasm dripping off the title. “How do you –”

            “It seems you need time to consider my offer,” Maleficent said. “Fortunately, I have the perfect place.” The jewel inset in her staff glowed green, and she slammed it down on the floor before her in a flurry of green sparks. The floor underneath Aqua burst into light, then vanished into a void of shadow. Even though she knew to expect it this time, Aqua couldn’t help but gasp.

 

 

            Unlike the first time, instead of landing in Maleficent’s dungeon, Aqua found herself outside the memory room, a new gold card clutched in her hand.

            _Okay, it’s now “later”,_ Kairi said immediately. _What did Terra do?_

            Aqua sighed. “He removed the heart of Enchanted Dominion’s Princess, Aurora, and gave it to Maleficent. I still don’t know whether she tricked him, or controlled him, or whether he… did it of his own free will.”

            _But Aurora’s fine, now? I met her two years ago when we were all kidnapped._ Kairi said.

            Aqua blinked. “Yes, when I arrived Ven had just rescued her heart from Maleficent’s castle and sent it back to her body, but what do you mean, _when you were all kidnapped?!_ ”

            _Oh. Right. Well, the reason we know who Maleficent is is because…_ And Kairi proceeded to explain to Aqua how Maleficent had somehow gained the power to travel the worlds, and had gathered together the Seven Princesses of Heart, including Aurora and Kairi herself, in an attempt to open the door to Kingdom Hearts.

            _So I’ve met the other six princesses and they’re all really wonderful people, is the main point I was trying to make. So even if Terra messed up, Ventus fixed it. Aurora was fine the last time I saw her,_ she finished. Aqua realized her mouth was hanging open and closed it.

            “You… have had a very eventful past two years,” she managed.

            _You’re telling me. Sometimes it feels like it’s been over a decade and a half,_ Kairi agreed.

            _What was it that Ventus wanted to do “before it was too late”?_ Naminé asked.

            “Find Terra, I think. I don’t know _why_ Ven was so insistent on finding him. It might have had something to do with…” Aqua trailed off, expression darkening.

              _With what?_

            “Not a what, a who. And I’d rather not talk about _him_ until I have to. If the cards I have are the memories I think they are, we’ll be seeing _him_ eventually.”

            _…Well that’s ominous,_ Kairi remarked, but Aqua ignored her and pressed on.

 

 

            There was an abrupt motion of falling the second she passed through the second memory door. She landed lightly on the floor of Maleficent’s dungeon, picking up right where the first memory had left off.

            She rose to her feet, not needing to get her bearings this time around, and looked across the room at the tall, brown-haired man in the simple black and brown clothes chained in place.

            “Who are you?” he asked as she walked across the room to him.

            “My name is Aqua,” she answered. “It looks like I was caught in a trap. Why are you here?”

            “To prevent me from breaking her evil curse. I was to meet the most beautiful girl at a cottage in the glen, but now my true love lies in an eternal slumber… and only I can break the spell,” the man replied.

            _Wait. He declared her his true love when they hadn’t even met properly yet? That’s kind of messed up,_ Naminé said.

            _Actually, I think I know who this guy is. This is Prince Phillip; he’s Aurora’s husband. Or he will be in ten years’ time,_ Kairi explained. _I remember her saying that he broke a curse laid upon her kingdom._

_That doesn’t really make it less weird that he’s already declared her his one true love,_ Naminé muttered. _Like you can only love one person in your entire lifetime. Bothers me._

            Aqua cleared her throat, silencing them. “You must really love her,” she said.

            “Is what you said true?” came a voice from behind them. Aqua turned around to see the three fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.

            _Oh so_ this _is the world they’re from,_ Kairi said. _I was wondering._

“Yes, Maleficent told me,” Phillip replied.

            “Oh, Prince Phillip! It’s you!” Flora gasped.

            _Whoops, spoilers_ , Kairi chuckled. _Sorry._

            The fairies freed Phillip from his chains. “Now Phillip,” Fauna said, “The road to true love may be barred by many more dangers which you alone will have to face.”

            _Again with the true love. How many times did they meet before this, Kairi?_ Naminé asked.

            _Uh… to my knowledge, once?_ Kairi said.

            “It was a different time,” Aqua muttered. Louder, she added, “I’m going with you. There’s something I need to know, and Maleficent has the answer.”

            “Yes, of course, dear,” Flora said. “Now, come along. We must hurry to Aurora.” She flew over to the door with the other fairies, and the memory ended.

            _That was it? Kind of short,_ Kairi said.

            “I get the feeling the Castle doesn’t like showing things that move through settings. Phillip and I fought our way through Maleficent’s castle and back to Aurora’s kingdom.” Aqua picked up the final gold card of the floor and left the memory room.

 

 

            She took a deep breath outside of the final door. _Nervous feeling?_ Kairi asked.

            Aqua smiled ruefully. “Well, wouldn’t you be feeling nervous if you knew you were about to fight a dragon?”

            _Fight a what?_

            _Oh, right. She did that when Sora fought her, too,_ Naminé put in. _It seemed like a difficult fight for him._

            _No, back things up, where did the dragon come from?_ Kairi demanded.

            “Maleficent.”

            _Maleficent summoned a dragon?_

“No, Maleficent… you know what? I can just show you.” Aqua pushed open the final door.

           

 

            Aqua and Phillip raced over a bridge surrounded by winding thorns as tall as trees. Before them, Maleficent appeared in a burst of green flame.

            “Maleficent! What did ‘Master’ Xehanort tell you?” Aqua demanded, letting sarcasm leech into her voice again.

            “Such a pity, child, that you don’t have Terra’s gift for obedience,” Maleficent replied, dodging the question. “Nor can you see how easy it was for him.”

            “Terra would never do anything to help you,” Aqua said, but the words tasted like ash in her mouth. The fact of the matter was that he _had_ , unwillingly or otherwise.

            “Quite the contrary. He fully embraced the darkness within himself,” Maleficent said, letting a hint of glee colour her words.

            “Stop lying,” Aqua said, as she needed to, but she knew where the glee was coming from; everything Maleficent said was the unvarnished truth.

            “See for yourself – all the powers of hell!” Maleficent declared, and in an explosion of green magic, she transformed into a gigantic black dragon.

            _Oh holy shit okay I get it now,_ Kairi stuttered as Aqua moved to attack.

            There were a few differences from her last fight with Maleficent, most notably her insistence on covering the entire arena in green flames and giving Aqua no room to maneuver. It was quite frustrating, actually, as Aqua knew she could win if she could just get within Keyblade’s reach of Maleficent.

            _On the right! The card!_ Naminé called, and Aqua looked to see a green-backed card falling out of the sky. She cartwheeled over to it and snatched it up before it hit the ground, but was surprised to see it wasn’t a Naminé/Kairi summon card. Instead of the two girls, three circles in green formed stylized mouse ears.

            “What’s this?” she asked, while rolling to avoid another round of green flame.

            _Use it use it use it!_ Naminé urged, and Aqua, trusting her advice, flung the card into the air.

            A platform of rock rose out of the ground in front of Maleficent, who didn’t seem to notice it. She continued to breathe green flames at the Keyblade Master, but Aqua now had a place to stand to avoid them.

            Aqua grinned. Down to business.

           

 

            To her relief, the memory ended as soon as the dragon was slain. A dragon-Maleficent-faced card found its way to her, and she walked out of the memory room, ready to climb the ladder to the next floor.

            _She didn’t die there, though. We all know that,_ Kairi mused.

            Aqua winced. “Yes. The fairies enchanted Phillip’s sword, and he struck a blow that felled her dragon form, but Maleficent survived. …I actually saw her fleeing the castle grounds after Phillip left to awaken Aurora.”

            _You didn’t stop her?_ Naminé asked. Her tone was neutral, but Aqua winced again, anyway.

            “No, I… just talked to her. I told her she lost because of the power of… true love.”

            _Did you now,_ Naminé said. Her tone sounded slightly irritated, but also slightly amused.

            Aqua, however, wasn’t laughing. “But in response, she said that as long as there is light, there will also be darkness. And that… more would be drawn to it, and they would belong to _her_. And then she vanished into green flame.” She stopped just before the floor exit. “I’m sorry. I could have stopped her for good right then and there, but I didn’t. And if not for me, then Riku… It’s my fault.” She shook her head, and stepped into the landing to the next floor.

            Naminé and Kairi were already out there waiting for her. “I’m sorry, did you say you think this is your fault?” Kairi asked.

            Aqua blinked. “It is my fault. If I hadn’t let Maleficent go–”

            “Then wouldn’t you be just as bad as Xehanort?” Naminé asked. “She was defeated, broken, had no way that you knew of to get off her world. You had no reason to kill her, and every reason not to. You showed mercy; that’s never a bad thing.”

            “And you don’t get to take the blame for Riku’s fuckups,” Kairi added. “He made his choices, but he came back to us of his own free will and I _know_ the thought of what he did still eats at him, no matter how many times Sora and I tell him we’ve forgiven him. But saying that everything he did only happened because you chose to be merciful ten years beforehand? That’s like saying Riku had no agency whatsoever. And that’s not okay.”

            Aqua was speechless. Kairi and Naminé stepped over and placed their hand on her shoulder. “Other people can make mistakes, too. You don’t have to shoulder the blame for everything that went wrong,” Naminé said.

            “I… Thank you,” Aqua said, automatically. They’d given her some things to think about.

            But later, at some other time. Now was the time to find Ven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Terra would never do that" is a _strong_ contender for the worst line read in Kingdom Hearts. And that's a fierce competition. Willa Holland, you're a good actor, what happened?  
>  Maleficent is a fantastic villain. I honestly want to watch Sleeping Beauty again just to see her in action. (I haven't seen it since I was, like, seven. Which was a while ago.) And I do have plans for her. Long term plans. Xehanort comes first.   
> And yeah, this world might have been chosen just because it meant I could be lazy with the boss fight, and just copy-paste the Maleficent fight from CoM. I did have to introduce the arena change cards to Aqua somehow, though, and this is a way that we're all familiar with, so I don't have to explain it when it comes up in later fights.   
> That is one thing I really like about Birth By Sleep, though, is that fighting Maleficent there is a much easier fight than in Kingdom Hearts 1. On the one hand, it shows how powerful Maleficent got in ten years, and on the other, it shows just how big a gap in skill there was between Kingdom Hearts 1 Sora and a real honest-to-goodness Keyblade Master. Makes what he managed to accomplish all the more impressive, and makes Aqua incredibly badass.   
> I think that's all. The last chapter was the longest I wrote for this fic, so I'm sorry if that's a bit disappointing. There was a lot of ground to cover on that floor, and my philosophy for writing for fun thus far has been to let things be as long as they need to be. So kind of the opposite of what I had to do in college. Next week we're back to Naminé!


	5. Fourth Floor

            It was now Naminé’s turn again. She looked at her two remaining cards, one a brown mansion, one a planet with two sets of rings.

            “It occurs to me that we still don’t have as many cards as we have floors to go,” Aqua said. “Not counting the floor we entered on, I had five, and you had three. That’s only eight, which would put us nine floors up.”

            “The Castle will probably give us more cards once we pass the halfway point,” Naminé explained. “Remember, it’s trying to test us, so it gives us world cards in order of increasing severity. Though you can go out of order if you have the cards for it.”

            “Why not just give us all the cards from the beginning?” Kairi asked.

            Naminé opened her mouth to respond, thought for a second, and closed her mouth again. Aqua hid a chuckle behind her hand. “The Castle works in mysterious ways?” she suggested.

            “…As good an explanation as any,” Naminé concluded. She looked back at her cards and sighed. “Next hardest set of memories would probably be…” She selected one of her cards and placed it against the door. It glowed, and clicked open, and Aqua followed her through into the next floor.

 

 

            The floor had patterned itself after a hardwood-panelled mansion. Naminé collected an Aqua summon card and secured it in her shoe once more, then proceeded to cut a swath through the floor to the first memory door.

            _We’re in some kind of house?_ Aqua asked.

            “This is the old mansion in Twilight Town. It was DiZ’s base of operations while I restored Sora’s memories,” Naminé said, voice not hinting at any particular feelings about this.

            _DiZ is what Ansem the Wise was calling himself, right? I met him in the Realm of Darkness._

            Naminé, about to push open the first door, stopped short. “What.”

            _We found each other in the Realm of Darkness. Riku and Mickey rescued him along with me, although as far as I know he still has amnesia,_ Aqua explained. _Is something the matter?_

            Naminé tensed, her grip on the gold card turning her knuckles white. “I’ll explain more if the memories don’t show it, but… Let’s just say he wasn’t a good person.”

            “To work with?” Kairi asked.

            “Wasn’t a good person.” Naminé repeated.

            “…Oh.”

            Naminé pushed the door open.

 

 

            In a pale white room, she stood before an egg-shaped pod. Barely visible inside it was the shape of a boy caught somewhere between fourteen and fifteen.

            “This is the sleeping pod I put Sora in while I repaired his memories,” she quickly explained to Kairi and Aqua, mindful that once the memory started in full, the people in them would react to anything she said, even if she hadn’t said it the first time around.

            Footsteps echoed in the room behind her, and a man in red robes walked in. His face was completely obscured by red bandages, save for a single orange-gold eye.

            “You seem to be struggling,” said DiZ.

            “A Nobody is interfering, I think,” Naminé said, with confidence that she hadn’t had when this conversation had actually happened. DiZ, fortunately, didn’t give her enough consideration to notice.

            “A Nobody?” he asked, tone scornful.

            “I keep trying to piece his memory back together, but what if some of the pieces got lost? There would be no way for me to finish,” Naminé said. “If that happened – and they found their way into someone else – he’d never get them back.”

            “Oh, I think he can do without a memory or two,” DiZ replied. It was almost a joke, save for the complete lack of humour in his voice.

            “But what if he needs those memories in order to wake up? What if they’re the key?” Naminé said.

            “…it’s his memories of me,” Kairi realized. “This is about Xion, and Sora’s memories of me.” DiZ didn’t react, confirming that Naminé alone could alter the content of her own memories. She nodded out of DiZ’s line of sight to let Kairi know she was right.

            “Naminé…” DiZ said. “You are a _witch_ with power over Sora’s memories and those connected to him.” He said the word dispassionately, but it still hit Naminé like a punch to her gut. “Are you seeing something I cannot?”

            “If his memories become her memories… she will never survive it.” Naminé nearly whispered.

            DiZ turned to look at her for the first time. “‘She’?” he asked.

            “Yes,” Naminé confirmed.

            DiZ turned back away. “It would be better to refer to the Nobody as an ‘it’ – considering that for Sora to regain his memories, it must not be allowed to hold them.”

            “I’m sure that _she_ would be willing to sit down with us and allow me to carefully remove Sora’s memories. _She_ probably doesn’t want to turn into a complete replica of Sora,” Naminé said, tone insistent. Now she was starting to deviate. In the actual course of events, DiZ had left the room after his last comment. But if Naminé had a choice, and it seemed she did have a choice, she would not allow the casual dehumanization of a person she’d already taken so much from.

            DiZ regarded her again. “ _It_ is a Nobody. _It_ cannot have wants, for those require feelings. _It_ is not real, no more than _you_ are.”

            Aqua drew in a sharp breath, audible even as a card, and Naminé could feel the hot pit of Kairi’s anger burning in her stomach again. “ _She_ is a person. Her _name_ is Xion. Do you really think that Sora would condone _murder_ to bring himself back?” Naminé demanded of DiZ, her tone frosty.

            DiZ turned away from her and walked towards the room’s exit. “Fortunate for us, then, that Sora is not in control of this process.”

            Naminé stepped forwards to block his exit. “It’s not too late yet. Xion’s memories aren’t completely woven together with Sora’s. I can remove Sora’s memories, and leave hers intact, if we can retrieve her and get her to agree.”

            “And exactly how long would this take?” DiZ asked. They both knew the answer. “Would it shorten, or lengthen the time it will take for Sora to awaken?”

            Naminé stared at DiZ’s uncaring eye, hating him. “Lengthen,” she eventually spat out.

            “Then it cannot be tolerated. I will see to it that the Nobody is taken care of.”

            Naminé clenched her fists by her sides. “Do you really think Riku will agree to this?”

            A cold smile wrote itself across DiZ’s face. “For Sora? He would do _anything_.”

            The memory ended, and Naminé grabbed the next gold card a little rougher than necessary.

            _When he showed up on the Dark Meridian with amnesia,_ Aqua said quietly, _all he could remember was that Sora was a hero, and that he had desperately wronged the children in his care._

            “Good,” Naminé muttered. “So long as he never forgets that.”

            “How much of that was the real conversation?” Kairi asked.

            “At the time, I didn’t know Xion’s name,” Naminé said. “DiZ left after saying Xion couldn’t be allowed to have Sora’s memories. A few days later, he sent Riku to see me, and I told him that even though I could painstakingly go through Xion’s memories and remove Sora’s, it would take too long and DiZ would never allow it. I never told the real DiZ that it was even possible, I was so sure this would be his answer.” She sighed. “I guess I really couldn’t have changed that, no matter what. I’m still disappointed in myself that I didn’t try.”

            _I don’t blame you._ Aqua said. _The way he spoke to you… I’ve never heard such things from anyone. Well, anyone but…_ she fell silent, but Xehanort’s name hung in the air, invoked without being spoken.

            Kairi was oddly silent. “…Sora and I never really let Riku articulate _why_ he feels so guilty over what happened to Roxas and Xion,” she said eventually. “I knew he did things he wasn’t proud of, but…” She shook their head, sadly.

            “We didn’t know she had a heart,” Naminé said. “We didn’t think it was possible, and even if we knew it was, DiZ wouldn’t have let us go about this the right way. He was so bent on getting revenge on the Organization he didn’t care who else he hurt along the way.” The whole thing left a bitter taste in her mouth, even if it had turned out all right in the end.

            Well, for a given value of “all right”, anyway.

           

 

            Naminé made her way to the next memory room. “There’s a couple memories this one could be, so to avoid any confusion, no, this all takes place in this mansion.”

            “What do you mean by that?” Kairi asked.

            “…You’ll see,” Naminé said. “I probably just won’t be able to talk about it myself, since I doubt there’s going to be any memories of the time I spent alone fixing Sora.”

            She opened the next door and walked inside. She found herself seated at a white table in a pure white room. A figure in an Organization coat stood across from her. As she watched, the figure lifted her hands to remove her hood.

            Naminé smiled her first happy smile since arriving on the floor. “Nice to meet you… Xion.”

            _She really does look like Kairi_ , Aqua murmured.

            Xion smiled and sat down across from Naminé. “Naminé, are you able… to see my face?” she asked, unsure.

            “Yes,” Naminé said.

            Xion looked troubled. “Then what do you think I should do?”

            “What do you _want_ to do?” Naminé asked her, not unkindly.

            Xion sighed and looked away, her gaze finally focusing on a drawing of Naminé’s pinned to the wall. It featured three figures, one blond, one dark-haired, one redhead, all in Organization coats. “At first, I just wanted to be with Roxas and Axel forever. But then I started to realize that my memories… Well, these aren’t really even mine, are they?”

            “ _Yours_ are,” Naminé said. “Sitting on the clocktower, eating ice cream, losing and finding your Keyblade… and the way you feel about Roxas… those are _your_ memories, not Sora’s, not Roxas’s. You’re not Sora, and you’re not Roxas, but you aren’t Kairi as Sora remembers her, either. You’re _Xion_.”

            This deviation from the script did little to change Xion’s mood. “But not all of the memories I have belong to me. And as I remember more of the past that isn’t mine, the more I feel the need to go back where I came from…” She locked eyes with Naminé. “What should I do… to go back?”

            Naminé shook her head. “The memories that are his need to go back to Sora, but you’re more than them. The memories of Kairi belong with Sora, but Xion belongs with Roxas and… Axel.” She had almost said “Lea” by accident. “But as you are now… if you return your memories to him, then you will disappear. Your ‘self’ is wrapped up in Sora’s memories, and without them, you can’t exist apart from him.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Your body was created using Sora’s memories. It can’t continue to exist if I remove them.”

            “So I’ll cease to exist…” Xion whispered, half to herself. “And if I only exist now with Sora’s memories making connections… no one will remember me when I’m gone.”

            “ _NO!_ ” The word tore itself from Naminé’s lips. “You are _real_ , Xion! You have a heart, all your own; you made it yourself. You won’t be able to keep your body, but your heart will go on, alongside Sora’s.” Tears started to drip from Naminé’s cheeks. “Yes, people will forget you, but not everyone. I won’t forget you, no matter what. And when something’s missing – when something’s missing, it’s easy to figure out what it is, from the hole that’s left behind.”

            A single tear slid down Xion’s cheek. She wiped it away, then looked at her hand in surprise.

            Through her tears, Naminé smiled. “If you wanted proof… A friend of mine once said, you have to have a heart, to cry.” She stood from the table, and walked around it to stand next to Xion. “This isn’t the end. I can promise you that much, this time.”

            Xion reached out, and Naminé took her hand. “Roxas should be going back with me, right?” she asked. “But… I don’t think he would understand. Not yet.”

            “You’re right. Roxas can’t feel Sora just yet,” Naminé agreed.

            “Naminé, will you please watch over Roxas once I’m gone?” Xion asked. “You won’t be alone. I asked someone else, too. There just isn’t anything else I can do.” She sighed. “I thought I was ready for this. I wouldn’t have come here otherwise. But…”

            Naminé gently squeezed her hand. “Even knowing you’ll survive… doesn’t make it easier.”

            “Yes.”

            “I’ll watch over Roxas,” Naminé promised.

            “Thank you…” Xion murmured.

            Naminé let her have a second to process. It didn’t really matter, since this was just a memory and not the real Xion, but it was the principle of the thing.

            Plus, she knew the memory was about to abruptly end.

            A Dark Corridor swirled into existence and DiZ stepped out of it. “Naminé, it’s them! The Organization has found us! They’re almost here!” He looked over at Xion. “This blasted puppet led them right to our doorstep! See what you get for trusting it?”

            Before Naminé had time to react, Xion jumped to her feet. “I can handle this!” she declared, and raced out of the room.

            “Wait! Xion…” Naminé called after her, but the memory was already fading. She took the offered gold card and left the room, collapsing to the ground outside of it, shaking.

            “…you didn’t know she would survive, in the actual conversation.” Kairi said, taking Naminé’s hand and squeezing it. It wasn’t a question, and they both knew the answer.

            “No,” Naminé whispered. “I thought she would vanish forever, and that no one would remember her.”

            “But you remembered her?”

            Naminé sniffed. “…I wasn’t planning on living through rejoining with you, remember?”

            “Oh.” Kairi fell silent, but squeezed Naminé’s hand harder.

            _…So that room was in the mansion?_ Aqua asked. _Because if you had told me it was in this castle, I would have believed you._

            “Yes. DiZ designed that room to look like the Castle’s interior.”

            _For Light’s sake, WHY?_ Aqua asked.

            “I never asked. Presumably to remind me of what I was.”

            _…If he ever gets his memories back I am going to have long conversation with him_ , Aqua said quietly.

            “Yeah, please tell me the final room is going to be you taking the place of whoever kicked his ass?” Kairi asked.

            Naminé shook her head. “To the best of my knowledge, he never actively fought anyone. And you were there for it when he was tossed into the Realm of Darkness, Kairi. It was the same explosion that turned Riku back to normal.”

            _What happened to Riku?_ Aqua asked.

            Naminé pulled herself to her feet. “I’ll explain on the way.”

 

 

            The last memory door put them back inside the white room.

            “I don’t understand. Aren’t you supposed to fight someone?” Kairi asked.

            Naminé crossed over to the window and pulled back the curtains. “I have to get to them, first. Last time, I only watched from this room.”

            Outside the window, two figures in Organization coats stood before the mansion’s gate, one with her back to it, one just inside the tree line.

            Naminé walked over to the chair, and lifted it. “I can’t say I haven’t always wanted to do this,” she said to herself with a smile, and turned, hurling the chair at the window. It cracked, and she jumped out into the courtyard, running over to the gate in time to hear the red-haired man mutter to himself, “Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?”

            “Axel,” said Xion, a sad but decided look on her face.

            “Xion… what are you gonna do?” Axel asked.

            “I’ve decided that I have to go back to where I belong.”

            Axel let out a breath. “Well, to be honest, I always felt that was best, right from the very beginning. But you know, it still really bugs me. Something about this just stinks.” He clenched a fist.

            “It’s for the good of everyone,” Xion muttered.

            “But how do you know that?” Axel demanded. “Everybody thinks they’re right…”

            “This is right,” Xion interrupted.

            “They’re gonna destroy you!” Axel yelled, a note of concern colouring his voice.

            _So. I thought Nobodies aren’t supposed to be able to feel emotions?_ Aqua mused.

            A flash of light and a chime shocked Axel, but instead of what was supposed to happen, Xion drawing her Keyblade to fight him, Naminé transposed herself between the two, Keyblade out and pointed at Axel.

            “She’s her own person. She can survive having Sora’s memories removed from her,” Naminé said. “But what Xemnas is planning – she wouldn’t survive that. You _know_ that, Lea.”

            Axel jerked back like he’d touched a hot stove. “Don’t call me that.”

            “I know… what lengths you’d go to, to save your friends. But taking her back to the Organization, even if she _does_ belong with you and Roxas… It won’t save her. It will destroy her.” Naminé sighed. “You’ll understand eventually, Lea. This is the only way to save you all.”

            “Don’t _CALL_ me that!” Axel shouted, angered. “What’s your _problem_?! All three of you… Roxas, Xion, and now you, Naminé… you think you can do whatever you want. Well, I’m sick of it,” he hissed. “Go on, you just keep running!” He held out his hand in front of him and summoned a chakram in a flurry of flame and darkness. “But I’ll always be there to _bring you back!”_

            Naminé smiled. “That’s what I’m counting on. Don’t hold back, Lea. Promise.”

 

 

            He didn’t. Somehow, probably due to the order she had used the cards, fighting Axel was even harder than fighting Marluxia. Naminé tried to ignore the fact that in reality, Xion had lost this battle.

            In her favour was the fact that she had been watching Lea fight for the past subjective year; she knew how he moved, despite the different weapon, and she knew that he wasn’t expecting to fight her.

            Being able to cancel his magic and sleights with her ‘0’ cards also made things easier. Lea and Kairi had never actually sparred against one another yet, but Naminé knew she wouldn’t have been able to beat the real Lea.

            But in Castle Oblivion, all was decided by the cards.

            She tossed another ‘0’ as Axel tried to send out a wall of flame, extinguishing it before it had even begun to reach a decent size. This surprised him, knocking him off balance long enough for him to get several strikes in.

            Slowly but surely, she whittled down his resistance, and ended the battle with a grey-backed Axel card in her hand. She smiled briefly at Xion as the memory faded, and made her way to the floor’s exit ladder.

            “Wait until I tell Lea you kicked his ass,” Kairi smirked.

            “It’s Castle Oblivion, it doesn’t count,” Naminé said.

            “Suuuure it doesn’t.”

            _This was before he gained the Keyblade, then?_ Aqua asked. _He didn’t use it._

            “No, he didn’t receive the Keyblade until after he recompleted, a couple months ago not counting our training trip,” Naminé explained, climbing the ladder.

            _Recompleted?_

            “When a person’s Heartless and Nobody are both destroyed, the Somebody, that is, the original person, comes back to life.”

            _So all the Organization members have hearts again?_

            “We think so,” Kairi said. “Ansem’s apprentices were the first six members of the Organization, and they’re all accounted for, even if we don’t know where a couple of them are. Lea, of course, is with us now, and Isa is still possessed by Xehanort. Roxas and Xion didn’t have anyone to recomplete _to_ , since Sora was still alive and Xion was a Replica, but they gained hearts of their own anyway, so it doesn’t matter. A couple of them are still unaccounted for, and we don’t even know what their Sombodies’ names were, which makes it harder to look for them, but that’s not our most pressing concern at the moment.”

            _Yes, about that, how exactly did Roxas and Xion get hearts? And I’m pretty sure that – Axel, was it? – Axel was having emotional reactions in that memory._

            Naminé stepped through the door and onto the landing, feeling Aqua’s card vanish from her shoe as the Keyblade Master returned to her body. “Xemnas, Xehanort’s Nobody, lied to them,” she explained. “He claimed the only way they could regain their hearts was if they built an artificial Kingdom Hearts.”

            “That’s the one that exploded and fixed Riku’s body, and sent Ansem into the Realm of Darkness?” Aqua asked.

            “Yes,” Naminé said. “But as it turns out, a body without a heart will simply grow a new one to replace it, given enough time. It even works for Replicas. That’s where Xion and Roxas got their hearts, and why Axel seemed so emotional. These memories were less than a month before Sora woke up. By that point, they all pretty much had hearts again.”

            “Which begs the question of if Axel was technically a different person than Lea,” Kairi mused.

            “I don’t think so? Or at least, they were so similar, Lea doesn’t consider there to be a difference. It’s a moot point, anyway,” Naminé concluded. “Axel died defending Sora; even if he had his own heart, it died with him and returned to Kingdom Hearts. I don’t think Lea would have recompleted otherwise.”

            “How are you feeling?” Aqua asked. “That looked like it took a lot out of you.”

            Naminé shook her head. “I’ll be fine. That wasn’t as hard as my memories of Castle Oblivion. And I can still apologize to the real Xion for what I did.”

            Kairi smiled, and took her hand. “Somehow, I think she’ll forgive you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if you've been paying attention, you might have realized that the pattern of this fic is going to be Aqua-Naminé-Aqua-Naminé and so on. Which leads to the inevitable problem. In canon, Naminé has only been to three worlds.   
> Yeah, I have a couple of ways around it. But I want it to be a surprise.  
> I actually don't think I have anything to say here that I haven't said before: DiZ is a douche, it's real fucked up that Naminé got put in a room that looked exactly like her old prison, Xion deserved better, yadda yadda. But this chapter touches on a lot of scenes that resonated with me when I played Days. A reminder, it's the Kingdom Hearts game I started with. I had the unique perspective of having just as much knowledge about Kingdom Hearts as Roxas did. So instead of the game being "catch-up to what we already know", every reveal and twist was an actual reveal and twist for me. All the emotional impact moments hit full on: the scenes here in this fic, Xion's death, and most of all, "Count the seats. When have we ever been more than thirteen?"  
> Again, going in, I didn't know Organization XIII were the bad guys. That line hit _hard_.  
>  That would have been an interesting story thread, although it wasn't one I'm interested in exploring myself. What if Lea and Axel actually _were_ two different people, with two different hearts, like Sora and Roxas? Would Axel be living in Lea's heart? (I mean probably not cause he for-real died but...)  
>  See you all next week for more Aqua time.


	6. Fifth Floor

            Since the two cards she had filed away absolutely weren’t an option, Aqua had a binary choice to make. If she wanted to do things absolutely in order, she should pick the castle, but she knew which memories those were.

            That was where she had first realized it was all falling apart.

            “Naminé,” she asked. “You said we could do worlds out of chronological order if we have the cards for them, right?”

            “Yes, that’s right,” Naminé answered. “But you will have to do all of them eventually. So putting things off really won’t help in the long run.”

            “I understand,” said Aqua, deciding to put off the more painful of the two worlds. She selected the island with the rainbow, and held it up to the door.

 

 

            _This looks a lot like the Destiny Islands,_ Kairi said once Aqua had picked up one of their cards. The floor resembled a tropical island, though it was definitely not Kairi’s adopted homeworld.

            “It does look a bit similar. This is Neverland,” Aqua explained.

            _Hey Nam, didn’t Sora go to Neverland, too?_ Kairi asked.

            _He did, although he only saw the interior of Hook’s ship, and a giant clocktower,_ Naminé said. _I think Roxas and Lea went to Neverland proper, though_.

            _Neat! Hey, do you think we’ll get to fly?_

            “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I only got to fly at one point on this journey, and I don’t think the Castle can simulate that,” Aqua said.

            _Aw, dang. Guess I’ll have to wait for Sora to take me to the real world. He did promise us a flying date at some point when this is all over._

            Aqua smiled. “Did he? Well, I hope you three have fun.” The idle chatter was working well to take her mind off what would be waiting for her in Neverland’s final room. “I beat him every time, what’s one more?” she muttered to herself.

            _Did you say something, Aqua?_ Naminé asked.

            “No, just talking to myself,” Aqua said, smiling even though she wasn’t sure the girls could see her face. She’d try to enjoy herself for now; she wouldn’t see _him_ until the last door.

            Aqua made her way to the first memory door and opened it. Stepping inside, she found herself leading a group of three boys and one pixie through a passage by the sea.

            “I have you now, Peter Pan!” yelled an accented voice. Aqua looked up to see a red-coated, hook-handed man standing on a plateau of rock in the middle of the bay. “Today’s the day I shall be rid of you forever!”

            _So they really don’t age here,_ Naminé mused. _Hook looks exactly the same as he did when Sora met him. And Peter looks exactly the same, too._

            “I’m busy right now, Hook. We’re on an expatition,” said the boy in green, who was floating slightly above the ground. His tone was less that of one speaking to a deadly archenemy, and more like one arguing with a parent over bedtime. “Can’t I show you up some other day?”

            _“Expatition”?_ Kairi asked.

            Aqua sighed. “They had made their own treasure map and their own buried treasure. Apparently, whoever picked it up became the leader of the “expatition” to find it. And I happened to pick it up by accident before any of them could get to it.”

            “You’ll show me up now! Give back me treasure!” Hook yelled back at Peter, oblivious to Aqua’s words.

            “Who’s that?” Aqua asked, on cue.

            “Aw, that’s Captain Hook,” Peter answered. “He’s just a two-bit pirate codfish.”

            “I’ll cleave you into two bits, boy!” Hook challenged as Peter and Aqua’s group kept walking along the path. “Smee!”

            That was apparently some sort of signal, as cannonballs began raining out of the sky. “We’re sitting ducks out here. Run!” Aqua commanded, taking charge.

            _He’s going to cleave him in two… with cannonballs,_ Kairi commented.

            “Hook never struck me as all that concerned with semantics,” Aqua said. Eventually, the group made its way out of the range of Hook’s cannons, and found themselves facing a tall cliff.

            “What is it?” Aqua asked.

            “The mark on the map points all the way up there,” said one of the other boys, dressed up in a bearskin.

            “Aww, relax. A little pixie dust, and we’ll be there in a jiffy,” Peter said.

            “But… we’ve never had to flied that high before!” the boy objected.

            “What if we fall?” said the other boy, wearing a fox skin.

            “Hey, when did you two turn into cowards?” Peter demanded.

            _That seems like a valid concern, actually, seeing as they made this up themselves,_ Naminé said. _Why bother risking life and limb for something you don’t even need?_

            Aqua smiled. “It’s not what it looks like. Peter’s methods are a little odd, but he’s just trying to teach them to have a little faith and trust in themselves.” To the group of memories, she added, “Don’t you think you’re asking a bit much of them?”

            “This is between me and them, Aqua,” Peter said, brushing her off. “Men, only the bravest of the brave can claim that treasure.”

            _The treasure that_ he _planted… Oh, okay, I guess that makes sense if it’s a confidence thing,_ Kairi said.

            “Yeah, we know…” said the bearskin-clad boy.

            “Tink, if you would,” Peter said to the pixie. Tinker Bell crossed her arms and turned away. “We haven’t got all day!” Peter added, a note of warning entering his voice.

            Reluctantly, Tinker Bell flew up the side of the cliff, leaving a trail of pixie dust in her wake.

            “Here we go!” Peter called, and the other two boys began swimming through the air in the trail of pixie dust, gradually making their way up the cliff. As Aqua watched them go, the memory ended. She picked up the gold card and left the memory room.

            _Why faith and trust?_ Kairi wondered.

            Aqua smiled. “They’re two of the ingredients needed to fly in Neverland. Faith, trust…”

            _And a little bit of pixie dust,_ Naminé finished. _Tinker Bell’s – that’s the pixie that was with them – magic runs on belief. If you have faith and trust in the idea that being sprinkled with pixie dust will let you fly, it will._ _Sora even managed to make it work outside of Neverland, though it was more like gliding._

            _Wow, that’s really cool! Tinker Bell didn’t seem like she was too happy to do it, though,_ said Kairi.

            Aqua smiled sheepishly. “That would probably be because I was there. Tinker Bell isn’t fond of Peter hanging around other girls. According to a book I read once, pixies can only feel one emotion at a time, though I doubt that’s because their bodies are so small, like the book implied. I would say that she feels jealousy incredibly strongly, though.”

            _Good to know for when we go,_ Kairi said. _Do you think my being with Sora and Riku will make a difference?_

            Aqua shrugged. “Probably not. There are worse things to deal with than an obstinate pixie, though.” She remembered what was waiting for her in the room after the next and repressed a shudder.

           

 

            Their talk brought them to the next memory door, which opened to reveal the top of the cliff Peter Pan’s group had flown up.

            “Hey, aren’t we back where we started?” Aqua asked, amused this time instead of confused.

            “Ya mean we went all the way around Neverland for nothin’?” the foxskin-wearing boy asked.

            “Well, ya conquered all sorts of obstacles to get here. And to me, that’s certainly not nothin’,” Peter declared, grinning.

            Aqua smiled. “You know, I had you all wrong. You were just looking out for them back there. Being a good leader.”

            _…eh,_ Kairi said, in a tone that implied either a shrug or a hand waving back and forth.

            “Yeah, of course I was,” Peter said dismissively.

            _You know, I don’t think I would like this person if I actually met him,_ Naminé commented.

            “He is something of an acquired taste,” Aqua agreed.

            “You’re too late, Peter Pan!” echoed a familiar accent. They looked up to the top of a natural platform to see Hook, and a smaller, bespectacled man in a blue and white striped shirt and red hat. They held a treasure chest. “I’ll be taking what’s mine now.”

            “It’s Hook!” Peter declared, unnecessarily.

            “Smee, secure me treasure,” Hook commanded to the smaller man.

            “Aye-aye, Cap’n!” Smee answered, and lifted the lid of the chest to reveal a pile of wooden weapons. Smee yelped in shock.

            “What is it now?”

            “C-Cap’n, it’s the treasure. It’s b-been…”

            “Spit it out, you idiot!” Hook demanded, leaning over to look in the chest. “Odd’s fish! It’s all junk!”

            “Whaddaya mean, junk? Those are our treasures, Hook!” Peter said, indignant.

            “But what did you do with MY treasure?” Hook yelled, angry and confused.

            “Oh, we losted it all,” said the bearskin-suited boy.

            “You what!?” Hook roared. “You scurvy brats have crossed me for the last time!” He raised his hook hand in a threatening manner, but a ticking sound echoed across the clearing they were standing in, and Hook’s mustache began twitching in time with it. “Mmm? What’s that? That sound…”

            There was a small stream that cut through the clearing, and at the mouth of it appeared a large crocodile, the ticking sound emanating from its throat.

            _I feel like context is needed,_ Kairi said, offhand.

            _Peter Pan is responsible for Hook’s missing hand. He cut it off and fed it to that crocodile,_ Naminé explained. _The crocodile enjoyed the taste of the hand so much, it follows Hook around hoping to eat the rest of him. It also, apparently, swallowed an alarm clock, which is why it’s ticking._

            _…Neverland is a weird place._

            Naminé laughed. _You should see Wonderland._

            “Not you again!” Hook was shouting. “No, get away from me! Smee! Do something! Smee!” With that plea for assistance, Hook took off running away from the water, Smee following behind, calling for him to wait.

            Peter’s group all shared a laugh at the antics, though this time Aqua refrained, knowing what was coming next. Eventually, they retrieved the treasure chest, and Naminé and Kairi gasped at the wooden Keyblade bearing Terra’s signature in the chest.

            Aqua reached out and picked it up. “Is this…” she said, knowing it was.

            “Oh, Ventus left that here. I guess it’s a special keepsake or somethin’,” Peter said. “But don’t worry about him. He said he would be all right without it. And then he promised to visit us again with even better treasures – maybe enough to fill a hundred treasure chests.”

            _…Ventus is very young, isn’t he,_ Naminé said, not quite a question.

            “He was fourteen,” Aqua murmured.

            _He still is,_ Kairi declared. _And he will still be when we reach him._

            “Ven… He was here…” Aqua said, louder, because it was part of the memory. “And someone else.” Her tone darkened considerably.

            _Who else?_ Kairi asked.

            “What’s the matter?” the bearskin-wearing boy asked.

            “It’s nothing. Best that you stay here,” Aqua told the group. She turned and walked away, the memory fading behind her, picking up the final gold card as she went.

            _Well, we’re not staying here,_ Kairi said. _Who is it?_

            Aqua stopped. “Pure Darkness,” she said in response, and it was the only thing the two of them could get out of her.

 

 

            In stony silence, Aqua made her way to the last room. She opened the door a little rougher than necessary, wanting to get this over with.

            _Aqua, are you okay?_ Naminé asked.

            Aqua paused in the doorway. “…No,” she said, and walked through.

            She ran down a path suggested by abandoned tents, through a curiously empty village.

            “So, have a good time hanging out with the kiddies?”

            She would know that voice anywhere.

            She spun around to see a boy in a skintight black and red suit, face obscured by a black helmet-like mask. A navy blue and red skirt hung from his belt, adding a bit of a swagger to his walk due to its weight. He was holding Ven’s wooden Keyblade.

            _Isn’t that… Isn’t that Riku’s dark suit?_ Naminé wondered aloud.

            “How’d you get that?” Aqua challenged, indicating the wooden Keyblade.

            The masked boy lifted the Keyblade to regard it. “I think that kid’s outgrown such a childish toy. If you ask my opinion.” He grasped it just under the teeth, and brought it down over his knee, breaking it in half.

            Aqua didn’t gasp this time, but Naminé and Kairi did. The boy tossed the pieces aside and added, “Just like I’ve outgrown my need for you.” To the girls’ shock, but not Aqua’s, he summoned a Keyblade.

            Red and dark grey, emblazoned with two aquamarine eyes at the guard and teeth, wrapped in chains and resembling several cogs, the boy lifted his Keyblade into a very familiar position.

            _That’s… that’s Riku’s ready stance!_ Kairi gasped. _Just who the hell is this guy?_

            Aqua’s lip curled in anger. “You freak,” she snarled, seeming to forget Kairi and Naminé were present. She summoned her Keyblade and readied herself, and the fight began.

           

 

            Aqua ignored every question Naminé and Kairi threw at her, focusing all her attention on beating the boy. There was a certain sadistic pleasure she got from being able to cancel his attacks, especially the vanishing attack he would do where he left an afterimage in her combo, and appeared over her head to slice at her. That had always been intensely frustrating, but now in Castle Oblivion, she could simply stop him in the middle of it. The confused “huh?” he let out whenever she stopped him vanishing was almost worth having to think about him again.

            Almost.

            With a flourish, Aqua swung her Keyblade right at his neck, and he vanished, leaving only a grey-backed card behind. She snatched it out of the air and barely even looked at it before stalking towards the room’s exit.

            She had underestimated how angry watching him break Ven’s Keyblade again would make her.

            _Aqua, talk to us,_ Kairi said. _Who was that, and why did he look familiar?_

“It’s not important. He’s dead, and gone.”

            _The hell it isn’t important, not if you’re this mad._

_Vanitas,_ said Naminé.

            Aqua froze in place on the ladder to the next landing. “Excuse me?”

            _That was Vanitas, wasn’t it?_ she asked.

            _Vani – oh, right! The person made from the darkness in Ventus’s heart!_ Kairi exclaimed.

            “That _thing_ was not a person!” Aqua said, sharply. There was silence.

            Naminé drew in and exhaled an audible breath. _I’m not going to get angry at that. We know what he did to you and your friends, so it’s understandable that your feelings about him are negative. But I’d like to remind you what you just saw of my life on the last floor, and ask you if you think maybe you should rephrase what you just said._

            Aqua looked away from the card stuck in her sleeve. “I am sorry, Naminé. I didn’t intend to hurt you. But you, and Roxas, and Xion, you’re very different from what he was –”

            _Bull. Shit._ Naminé said. _He might have been an awful, sick person, but he was a person. He had choices, he had agency, and writing him off as a monster undercuts what he did. ‘He couldn’t help it, it’s just what he is’; no. Everyone has a choice. Sometimes they’re all untenable choices. But they’re still choices. And not acting at all is a choice, too._

_A person is a person, no matter where they came from,_ Kairi agreed. _Even the bad ones. He might have had a heart made entirely of Darkness, but that doesn’t make him any less of a living being._

            Aqua continued climbing the ladder as they talked. “If you knew what he did –”

            _We_ do _know what he did. At least the broad strokes. It was in the letter Mickey and Yen Sid sent Sora, Riku, and me, where we found out that you and your friends existed at all,_ Kairi said. _Xehanort’s apprentice, came into being when Xehanort tried to rip Ventus’s heart in half, wanted to, tried, and failed to forge the χ–blade with Ventus, created the… what were they called?_

_Unversed,_ Naminé supplied.

            _Yeah, those. Created the Unversed and spread them across several worlds. We’re not arguing that he was a good person. But regardless of how he came into existence, he_ was _a person. It was a_ person _that did all those awful things, not a monster. At least, not a literal one._

            Aqua reached the top of the ladder and walked out onto the landing. Naminé and Kairi followed her out, arms crossed.

            “You forgot one thing he did,” Aqua said.

            “Which is?”

            “Goaded Ven into following Terra off-world. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have left to follow them both, and Ven wouldn’t have found out about the χ–blade. Master Eraqus wouldn’t have died. My home wouldn’t be _this_ ,” she said, waving her arms to indicate the Castle around them.

            “Do you really think Xehanort wouldn’t have found another way?” Naminé asked.

            Aqua’s face twisted in disgust. “…No,” she finally admitted. “I just…”

            Kairi walked over and put a hand on Aqua’s shoulder. “It’s easy to focus your anger on an individual or an event. It means you don’t have to contemplate the idea that so many things went wrong all at once, there was nothing anyone involved could have done to stop it. Vanitas is partially to blame, but not solely.”

            Aqua grimaced. “No, no, I know exactly who to blame.”

            “Xehanort.”

            “…Right.” That wasn’t who she had meant, but saving Ven came first.

            Kairi breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, I guess that explains why his suit and stance were so similar to Riku’s. Xehanort’s Heartless is the one who gave Riku the suit, and taught him how to wield the sword that eventually became his Keyblade.”

            “That makes sense,” Naminé said. “At least he keeps to an aesthetic.”

            Aqua actually chuckled at that. Kairi and Naminé both beamed at her.

            “Let’s take a second before moving on,” Naminé suggested. “I think you need a bit of rest.”

            Aqua nodded. “Thank you, that would be nice.” She had a lot to consider.

            “You only have one card left, right, Nam?” Kairi asked.

            “I do. And it’s one you’ll recognize,” Naminé replied. She lifted the last card, image clear in preparation for use, and showed it to Kairi. It bore the symbol of a planet with two rings set at differing angles, evocative of a skull and crossbones pirate flag.

            “We’re going back to space.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why Kairi didn't find Vanitas's voice familiar... it's because I couldn't fit it in here. It's literally the opening discussion of the next chapter. If you're wondering why Aqua hasn't said anything about Vanitas and Sora looking similar... it's because she never saw his face. Only Ven did.  
> I really really liked Peter Pan as a little kid. As an adult, I still like it, even though I'm now able to recognize how uncomfortably racist parts of it are. Also, as I get older I find I like Peter himself less and less. Mainly because now I get how horrible the idea of someone who will forever act like a child is.   
> I've also since read the original book. And apparently, so has Aqua, because the explanation she gives here of why Tink is jealous 95% of the time is J.M. Barrie's: pixies are so small, they can only feel one emotion at a time.   
> I promise that Naminé's side of the fic is not just going to turn into a retread of Kairi and Lea's Excellent Adventure. That is not the plan around Naminé only having been to three worlds. ...Well, it's part of the plan, but only a small one. It will make sense in retrospect, I promise.


	7. Sixth Floor

            Naminé could feel Kairi scrunching up their face as they rested before moving on to the next floor. “Something the matter, Kairi?”

            “Not really, Nam. It’s just… That Vanitas guy. Did you think his voice sounded familiar?”

            Naminé thought about the memory they had just experienced. “…Not really? Should I have?”

            “I dunno, that’s why I’m confused. It felt like I’d heard it somewhere before.”

            Naminé shrugged. “He was in Radiant Garden before you left, right? Maybe you ran across him?”

            Kairi frowned. “I don’t think that’s it.”

            Aqua stood up and walked over to them. “If you two are ready to move on, I think I’ve rested well enough.”

            “Okay,” Naminé said, pulling herself to her feet with a smile. “This one should be quick, they’re all happy memories. Ish. Fought a giant Heartless, it’s probably waiting for us at the end. But it should be fine.”

            Aqu frowned in curiosity. “You said we were going to… space?”

            “Yep, the last leg of our training mission. The world we knew as Montressor Spaceport, on a journey to a place called Treasure Planet.”

 

 

            _This is not space. I’ve been to space. This is a sailboat._

            “It’s a galleon,” Kairi corrected cheerfully. “A _solar_ galleon. And we are, in fact, travelling through space on it.”

            “I don’t blame the Castle for rendering only the interior. We did spend several months here,” Naminé added.

            _…Well, if you say so,_ Aqua said. _How did you breathe while you were on it?_

            “Well, there’s this stuff on this world called ‘Etherium’, and–”

            “Another time,” Naminé said, interrupting Kairi. “We’re at the first door.”

            The first memory door led to the conversation between the only non-piratical members of the crew, just after Jim Hawkins and Delbert Doppler had arrived on the ship. Naminé supplied Kairi’s lines, but aside from that didn’t really change anything; she was beyond satisfied with how this part of their trip had turned out, and wasn’t quite sure what the Castle thought she wanted to change about it.

            She could, however, have some fun. After Amelia had assigned Lea and Jim to the galley and the men had left the room, she asked, “Why the galley?”

            “Our Mr. Silver has something of a reputation, and I’m counting on the boy Hawkins to be too much of a distraction for him to try anything foolish,” Amelia explained. “Your companion is simply extra security. It also puts them out of the way so that we can get on with the business of sailing. I take it solar ships aren’t common where you’re from?”

            _Not exactly,_ Aqua said drily.

            “No, the ships we use are entirely different,” Naminé said in her best impression of Kairi. “The _Legacy_ does remind me of the boats I grew up around, but on a much larger scale. They were entirely ocean-going, though.”

            “I do _not_ sound like that,” Kairi muttered.

            _Not to be rude, but it is a very close impression,_ Aqua said. The smile was heavily implied.

            Amelia was also smiling. “I thought you adapted quickly to being on the ship. Which is why I’m assigning you as my assistant. You won’t be giving orders to the crew, but I want you to be my eyes and ears. Both in terms of managing these louts and in keeping everything shipshape. Do you think you can do that?”

            “Of course, Captain,” Naminé said, voice dropping to a low purr as she leaned over Amelia’s desk. “I’m sure I can excel in _any_ position you want to put me in.”

            “Excuse me, what the _fuck_?”

            Amelia blinked. “Er… yes, well, then come and join me on the quarterdeck. We’re about ready to cast off.” She hurried out of the room and the memory ended. Naminé reached down to pick up the next gold card, but Kairi froze her in place.

            “No, answer that, Naminé, what the _fuck_?! That is _not_ what I said!”

            _Language,_ Aqua reminded.

            “Oh, come on!”

            “Look, if you weren’t going to flirt with the cute cat-woman, why shouldn’t I?” Naminé teased, picking up the gold card and heading back out into the floor.

            “Many reasons! Many reasons why, Naminé!” Naminé could feel their cheeks burning with Kairi’s embarrassment.

            “What does it matter? There’s no continuity between memory doors. It’s not even the real Amelia.”

            “Principles, Nam!”

            “ _I’m_ not in a relationship.”

            “It’s my body, and I _am!_ ”

            Aqua cleared her throat. _So, Kairi, what_ was _growing up on the Destiny Islands like?_

            Naminé allowed the desperate subject switch. Kairi found a piece of reflective metal in the room they were currently in to glare at herself with, but answered Aqua’s question.

            “It was… peaceful. I don’t really remember much about living in Radiant Garden, but the tempo of life on the Islands was much, much slower. I also… don’t recall having all that many friends in Radiant Garden… or any at all. But the first thing I remember on the Destiny Islands after I woke up and the adults had asked me as many questions as I could answer about where I had come from, was two boys who showed up to ask who I was and if I wanted to play.”

            _Sora and Riku?_ Aqua asked.

            Kairi smiled. “Yep. My first real friends.”

 

 

            “…and I have to wonder, even now, if he _knew_ I was from another world. We’ve met rulers of worlds who knew their worlds were just one of many, like King Triton of Atlantica or King Richard of Nottinghamshire, or Ansem the Wise, or even King Mickey. Dad’s not a king, just the mayor of the islands, but he is kind of the highest authority we have.”

            _Have you told him about your Keyblade, or being a Princess of Heart?_

            “ _Light_ no! If he doesn’t know already I don’t want to have to explain it to him! Sora’s mother figured stuff out, since Roxas and Xion came out to, you know, exist, and Sora’s always been a horrible liar, but she’s incredibly understanding. Dad would probably freak out.” The conversation about Destiny Islands had carried them all the way to the next memory door, and wasn’t running out of steam anytime soon. Kairi had told Aqua about her adoptive father, and about Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka, and how none of them really knew what she was up to. Aqua, whose guardian for most of her life had been her Keyblade Master, had never really had to keep Keybearer matters secret from anyone at home, so she found Kairi’s careful web of excuses and explanations rather novel, if dangerous.

            _I don’t think this is the kind of thing you can keep secret forever. Especially if he cares about you._

            Kairi smiled. “He does. I know he does. I don’t… remember my family in Radiant Garden, except for my grandmother. And I’m not really sure if she was actually related to me, or just a guardian I called ‘grandma’.” Her grin faded as she continued. “He’s the only father I’ve ever known. I don’t want to worry him.”

            “Kairi,” Naminé said, in a teasing tone. “Didn’t we just go through a whole thing about keeping secrets from people to avoid them worrying? And how it’s never a good idea?”

            Kairi blew her bangs out of her eyes. “Fair. I suppose at least Sora’s mom can help me figure out how to break it to him. I do need to figure out how to introduce you, at least, Nam. You’re my sister, and if he doesn’t like that, tough.”

            Naminé laughed. “I mean, I could stay with Sora if he doesn’t. What’s one additional mouth to feed to a single mother already taking in two extra kids?”

            _I’ve been wondering,_ Aqua said. _You’ve told me about your father, and Sora’s mother… What about Riku’s parents? What are they like?_

            There was a sudden silence. “…I don’t know,” Kairi said, subdued. “They passed away before I arrived on the Islands.”

            Aqua’s horror was palpable. _Oh, Light, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. Then… who took care of Riku while he was growing up?_

            “He has an uncle… Well, Dad and Sora’s mom call him Riku’s uncle. They aren’t actually related, he was a close friend of both his parents. He provides for Riku, and they live in the same house, but…”

            “It’s a big, empty house,” Naminé added, sadly. “I saw it a few times in Sora’s memories.”

            “It’s not that his uncle doesn’t like him or anything, it’s… Riku’s parents’ deaths hit him extremely hard, and he never quite… recovered from it,” Kairi explained. “Looking back, it’s little wonder Riku has the self-esteem problems he has now. And why he’s so scared of messing up. He’s never really felt loved this much before.” A smile crossed her face. “Which is why it’s so nice that Mickey basically adopted him.”

            Aqua snorted. _So is Riku an official member of the House of Mouse, then?_

            Kairi laughed. “Not to my knowledge, but I don’t think anyone in Disney Town would object if Mickey wanted to make it official.”

            “We’re at the next door,” Naminé pointed out.

            “Do not flirt with Amelia,” Kairi ordered immediately.

            “If that’s what you want, _dear_ sister,” Naminé teased, with a wide grin.

            “Don’t push it,” Kairi replied, but she was grinning just as wide.

 

 

           

            Inside the door was not a scene where flirting would have been acceptable. They were within a stone building, Jim sulking in a corner, Lea nursing a wound in his side, and Doppler fussing over an even more wounded Amelia.

            _So… the trip didn’t go as planned?_ Aqua asked, stunned.

            “Well, we got to Treasure Planet,” Kairi explained. “Then Silver led a mutiny against us, Lea was shot in the side, we had to escape in a lifeboat, which was shot down, and the Captain was injured in the crash. Also, again because of Etherium, Cure spells don’t work. Here, I was using a special kind of healing magic to mend Amelia’s wounds. Extremely powerful, but incredibly draining and time-consuming.”

            Again, Naminé let the scene play out as it had in reality. The memory lasted until Silver’s crew snuck thorough the hatchway in the back of the house. Out of respect for both Kairi and the seriousness of the situation, Naminé didn’t alter the way Kairi had talked to Amelia, although now that attention had been called to it she could feel her Somebody blush every time she laid on hands to heal the felid captain.

            Gold-backed card in hand, Naminé strode out the memory door, ready for the confrontation with the pirate ship Heartless she knew was coming.

            _So, you’ve said you don’t remember a lot of your time in Radiant Garden,_ Aqua said. _What_ do _you remember?_

            “That is an excellent question,” Kairi mused. “I didn’t remember meeting you at all until seeing you again, though I always thought your name sounded familiar. I remember… flowers. A lot about flowers, what they looked like, what they meant.” She grinned. “When I was five I got into arguments with adults in Destiny Islands’ flower shops because apparently the flower language there and in Radiant Garden are different, so as far as I was concerned they had everything wrong. Gave Dad no end of trouble.

            “I remember my grandma, of course, and her stories about the age of fairytales. Hard to believe she was telling me about the Keyblade War and I had no idea. I have to wonder if it was part of training me to be a Princess of Heart. I have no idea if there even was any formal training to be had, none of the other Princesses seemed to know they were Princesses of Heart. Radiant Garden seems like it would be different, though.

            “And like I said, I don’t remember any family aside from my grandmother. I don’t know if I even… _had_ any family, aside from her. I do now, of course, I have Dad, and he’ll always be my father, but… I don’t know.”

            _Do you… remember anything about the Fall?_ Aqua asked, cautiously.

            Kairi shook her head. “No. And I have tried, now that I know it happened. The only thing I remember is waking up on the Destiny Islands. Honestly, I’m not sure I want to remember.” She shivered slightly. Aqua decided to drop the subject.

            “We’re here,” Naminé interrupted, waving the final gold card to unlock the door.

            “Can you take this one on without my help?” Kairi asked, smiling.

            “I think I’ll manage,” Naminé replied, also smiling. “Besides, even if I can’t, you’re right here with me.”

 

 

            The Pirate Galleon went down with very little trouble, especially compared to the real thing. Castle Oblivion’s ability to mimic giant monsters was limited, and hampered even more so by its need to make them use cards to fight. With a satisfied air, Naminé left the room, and started up the ladder to the floor’s exit.

            “It’s weird actually enjoying something in this hellhole of a castle,” she remarked, “but that was actually kind of fun.”

            Kairi grinned. “Reliving happy memories can be a good thing sometimes, huh?”

            Aqua was strangely silent. Her silence continued until they left the floor entirely, and she stopped being a card.

            “…Kairi, have you been to Radiant Garden since the Restoration Committee started their work?” she asked.

            “No, I haven’t. I’d like to at some point, if only to see Leon and Aerith and the rest again. Why?”

            Aqua brought out a world card of her own. “Because I can’t put this off any longer.

            “Because I have to show you the beginning of the end.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel slightly guilty going back to one of my own fics for this, which is why this chapter is mostly worldbuilding. We know very little about the Destiny Trio's parents. We know Sora has a mother: we hear her in a cutscene in the first game, and we know that Kairi has an adoptive parent that is the mayor of the islands; male or female, we don't know. But nothing on Riku.  
> I've seen several ways of characterizing Riku's parents (usually two of them), ranging from just happy to have him home, to several steps towards rebuilding a life without him in it and shocked to discover he's alive. I took the "simple" route: he doesn't have them. Riku's relationship with his "uncle" isn't going to be a main focus of this series, but it might crop up a couple times in the background of other events. I would have made his surviving parent an "aunt", but I figured a woman would be less likely to shut down in the face of loss, like I'm describing here. It is a generally noticed pattern that widowers tend to do worse than widows after the fact, believed to be because men are culturally discouraged from having the sort of support systems women are encouraged to have. It's stereotypical, I know. Sorry.  
> As for the flowers thing... I wanted at least one member of the cast to know what a "shion" is, and what it means.   
> In other news, I caught up with the story mode of Union Cross this week, thanks to two incredibly lucky draws that I did for shits and giggles, expecting to get nothing. I'm still only technically 47% of the way through, because apparently Proud Mode counts towards that percentage and I didn't realize it, but... I don't care about that! Still very much want to know how that story ends, because I want to do some stuff concerning it later down the line. I'm probably still going to do what I'm planning even if canon doesn't wind up supporting it, but it would be nice if my predictions came true. (Basically: Lauriam being the traitor would be _incredibly_ lazy writing, and Brain is a shifty fucker that I don't trust. Oh and Strelitzia deserved better.)  
>  Are y'all ready for some angst? No? Too bad! Radiant Garden is coming up next!


	8. Seventh Floor

            The world they stepped into was paved in cobblestone, and surrounded by flowers and houses. The occasional fountain dotted the otherwise empty rooms. It was bright, and cheery, and Naminé and Kairi couldn’t help but notice Aqua seemed to be on the verge of a freakout.

            _Aqua, talk to us. What’s wrong?_ Naminé asked.

            “This is… Radiant Garden. This is where I first caught up to Ven and Terra at the same time. And everything started to fall apart,” Aqua answered, nervously.

            She reached the first memory door, and with a deep breath, unlocked it and pushed it open.

            To her mild surprise, she didn’t find herself in Radiant Garden’s power plant, but rather walking up a flight of stairs to the castle’s main entrance.

            “Wait, this isn’t–”, she started to say, but then was cut off by a young girl’s scream.

            An auburn-haired girl in a white and pink dress, flowers clutched in a terrified hand, ran across the landing in front of her, pursued by an angular, blue-purple monster that Aqua recognized instantly as the type of Unversed she and her friends had dubbed “Floods”.

            “No! Run!” she shouted to the girl, but the Flood managed to corner her against a wall.

            _Wait… Is that…?_ Naminé asked.

            More Floods popped out of the ground as the girl dodged the first one and ran over to Aqua. They could now see her much younger, but still very familiar face.

            _…That’s_ me _,_ Kairi whispered.

            The younger Kairi hid behind Aqua and placed a hand on her Keyblade for reassurance. Aqua smiled grimly. “‘In your hand, take this Key,’” she muttered, then added, “I can feel the light.”

            She looked back towards the gathered Floods. “There’s no way I can fight like this,” she murmured to herself.

            _What are you talking about? These things look really weak,_ Naminé said.

            “Believe it or not, none of my training covered protecting a scared four-year-old from the physical manifestations of negative emotions,” Aqua said, irritated.

            _That seems like a bit of an oversight to me._

            Fortunately, the second the first Flood lunged at Aqua and the young Kairi, a familiar figure wielding a Keyblade leaped between them, striking the Flood and reducing it to purple mist.

            _King Mickey?_ Naminé said, incredulously.

            “Hurry! Ya gotta get that girl to someplace that’s safe,” Mickey ordered.

            “Who are you?” Aqua asked, aware of the answers. “Why do you have a Keyblade?”

            Mickey turned back to look at her. “I’ll tell ya later. Right now, we gotta stop these things!”

            Aqua picked up Kairi and tucked her under her arm, carrying her to a safe distance away, then returning to ready herself next to Mickey.

            “Everything all right?” he asked.

            Aqua gave him a stiff nod, and Mickey shouted, “Let’s get ‘em,”

            “Right!”

            There was a flash of white light. Apparently Castle Oblivion didn’t like fights taking place in memories that weren’t the final ones of the floors, because when Aqua’s eyes had cleared, the Floods were gone. The young Kairi stood next to Mickey as Aqua walked over to them. She knelt to be on the same level as them both.

            “Thank you,” she said to Mickey. “My name is Aqua. I train under Master Eraqus.”

            “And I’m Mickey,” the mouse introduced himself. “I used to be Yen Sid’s apprentice. I came back to him for some more training.”

            Aqua nodded, and turned to look at Kairi. “I sense light within this girl. You think that’s why they attacked her?”

            Mickey nodded. “Yep, I think ya might be absolutely right. If ya ask me, she must be somebody pretty extraordinary.”

            _Agreed,_ said Naminé. Kairi shushed her.

            Aqua smiled. “Yes. I’m quite certain she’s someone we’re supposed to protect.”

            “Let’s join forces!” Mickey said with a grin, but before Aqua could take his offered hand, a light flashed from his pocket. “Oh no, not now!” he wailed, but the light intensified, and with a quick “I’ll be okay!” he shot upwards, carried on a bright starlight. “See ya real soon!”

            _Um?_ Naminé asked.

            “He was travelling with an object called a Star Shard,” Aqua explained, “and he didn’t quite know how to work it properly.”

            “Here!” said the young Kairi, bringing Aqua’s attention back to the memory. She was offering the flowers she’d been holding.

            Aqua smiled. “Are these for me?”

            Kairi nodded. “I picked you some flowers. Thank you for saving me.”

            _Oh my goodness, you were adorable!_ Naminé said. If she’d had a mouth to do it with at the moment, she’d have been grinning ear to ear.

            _Hey, what do you mean ‘were’?_ Kairi said.

            Aqua took the proffered flowers. “Oh, they’re lovely. You’re so sweet.”

            “My name’s Kairi. Nice to meet you!”

            _So precious!_

_Quiet, you._

            “Nice to meet you too. I’m Aqua. Kairi, about that light–”

            She was cut off by the sound of an older woman’s voice calling Kairi’s name. The young girl turned to the source of the sound. “Oh! Grandma!”

            “Wait, Kairi, just a minute…” Kairi turned back to Aqua, who reached out and placed two fingers against the necklace Kairi was wearing, imbuing it with a charm. “I just cast a magic spell on you. One day when you’re in trouble, the light within you will lead you to the light of another. Someone to keep you safe.”

            _Two people_ , Kairi murmured.

            “Thanks!” the young Kairi said, smiling. She ran back over to her grandmother, and waved goodbye to Aqua, who waved back. As they walked down the stairs and Kairi’s grandmother started telling her the story of the Keyblade War at her insistence, the memory ended. Aqua picked up the gold card and left the room.

            _…You saved my life twice that day,_ Kairi said, quietly. _From the Unversed, and then…_

            _That’s how you ended up on the Destiny Islands?_ Naminé asked. _That spell Aqua cast?_

            _Yes. But I don’t remember why it activated._ Kairi sounded as troubled as Aqua felt.

            _I think we can guess,_ Naminé said. Aqua nodded, and looked at the next gold card, dreading what was to come.

 

 

            On the other side of the second memory door, a familiar blond and brunet were waiting for her.

            “Got it!” Terra called, running over to where Ven was standing.

            “We… make a good team,” Aqua said, pain evident in her voice even though the memories couldn’t register it.

            “Sure do!” Ven agreed. “Oh yeah! I got you these tickets.” He held out three plastic rectangles, all emblazoned with “Disney Town Passport”.

            “For what?” Terra asked.

            “Lifetime passes to Disney Town.” Ven beamed, and started handing them out. “He said to–” his expression soured and he added, grumpily, “He said to take two ‘grown-ups’.”

            “You mean us?” Aqua asked, melancholy. Terra laughed, but she couldn’t bring herself to join in. Aqua took a deep breath, and sighed. “Listen to me, Ven… We need to get you home –”

            “It’s okay, Aqua,” Ven interrupted, grinning. “Trust me, that guy in the mask is history. He’ll never bad-mouth Terra again.”

            _Just to be clear, your memories of fighting Vanitas in Neverland were from_ after _this conversation, weren’t they._ Naminé said. It wasn’t a question.

            Aqua nodded, as Terra said, “You saw the boy in the mask?” He reached over to grab Ven’s shoulder, suddenly tense.

            “Uh… y-yes?” Ven said, alarmed.

            “Vanitas…” Terra muttered, looking off into the distance. “Ven. You let Aqua take you home.”

            “No way. I wanna go with you guys,” Ven protested.

            “You can’t,” Terra said. “We have a dangerous task ahead of us. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

            “And what is this dangerous task, Terra?” Aqua asked, dully. “It doesn’t sound like what the Master told you to do.”

            Terra frowned. “It might be a different route, but I’m fighting the darkness.”

            “I’m not so sure,” Aqua said. “I’ve been to the same worlds as you and I’ve seen what you’ve done. You shouldn’t put yourself so close to the darkness.”

            Ven huffed. “Listen to yourself, Aqua. Terra would never–”

            “You mean you’ve been spying at me?” Terra demanded, cutting him off. “Is that what he said to do? The Master’s orders?”

            “He was only–” Aqua mumbled, but trailed off, looking away.

            “Aqua…” Ven said, clearly disappointed.

            “I get it,” Terra said, and turned away. He stared to walk away.

            Ven made to run after him. “Terra!”

            “I said stay put!” Terra shouted. “I’m on my own now, all right?” He continued to stalk away, not turning back to look at them.

            “Terra, please! Listen!” Aqua called, pain evident in her voice, because she knew how this ended, and her pleas were in vain. “The Master has no reason to distrust you, really! He was just worried.” Terra continued to walk away like she was saying nothing.

            Ven turned to look at her, and Aqua braced herself. “You’re awful, Aqua,” he said, sadly, and the words tore a hole through her heart, just like they had the first time.

            “So now you know the truth,” she said to Ven, half-heartedly. “But the Master loves Terra, and you know that too.”

            “Were you also ‘ordered’ to take me home?” Ven asked.

            She didn’t answer, but hung her head, knowing that was enough. “Aqua… Now that you’re a Keyblade Master, you’ve let it go to your head.”

            Hearing it again, it still stung.

            “I’m gonna go find Terra,” Ven said. He ran off in the same direction Terra had gone, and Aqua was left alone in the middle of the power plant.

            Mercifully, the memory ended there. She retrieved the gold card, feeling hollow and alone, and made for the exit.

            Fortunately for her, she wasn’t alone.

            _What the fuck was that?_ Kairi demanded.

            “Language,” Aqua said automatically, but Kairi snapped back, _Oh, fuck proper language. Aqua, what the_ fuck _was that?_

            Aqua shivered. “I know, I made a mess of things. But I was only trying to–”

            _What are you talking about? I mean Terra and Ventus! Where the fuck do they get off talking to you like that?!_

            “W-what?”

            _That! All of that! How the flying_ fuck _does following your Master’s orders mean that you’ve let being a Master go to your head?!_ For some reason Aqua couldn’t quite comprehend, Kairi was furious.

            _Let’s start from the beginning. What did your Master order you to do, exactly? Meaning, what were his exact instructions?_ Naminé asked, in a calmer tone.

            “I… He… He ordered me to bring Ven back,” Aqua said, lost.

            _Just that?_ Naminé asked.

            “Just that,” Aqua replied.

            _Okay. So Ventus has absolutely no leg to stand on there, bringing him back was explicitly your Master’s instructions,_ Naminé said. _What about making note of what Terra was doing?_

            Aqua shifted uncomfortable. “I… wasn’t given instructions to do that, no.”

            _But were you doing it on purpose?_ Kairi asked.

            “Huh?”

            _When you left the Land of Departure, did you do so with the plan in mind to follow Terra around and judge his actions?_

            “N-no, I was only following Ven. But Ven was following Terra, and…” she trailed off.

            _So it was unavoidable that you’d see the aftereffects of Terra’s journey,_ Naminé mused. _And since this was the first time you’d seen him since you all left, you hadn’t had a chance to ask for his side of the story._

            Aqua deflated. “The first time since I learned what he’d done, yes. I made judgements that I shouldn’t have, without all the information–”

            _Oh fuck that, you knew he removed Aurora’s heart, unwillingly or otherwise._ Kairi snapped. _You weren’t even criticizing him as a Keyblade Master, you were speaking as a concerned friend. And he lashed out at you for no reason!_

            _Maybe he felt guilty,_ Naminé offered. _He knew what he was doing wasn’t completely right, but he was turning a blind eye to it. So when you pulled it out into the open, he directed his frustration with himself at you. Either way, you didn’t deserve it._

            Aqua shook her head. “No, no, if I had been better, if I had listened instead of accused, this wouldn’t have happened. This is all my–”

_NO._ The word, spoken by both girls simultaneously, tore through her head.

            _This is NOT your fault,_ said Kairi.

            _None of this is your fault,_ said Naminé.

            “But–”

            _Terra had Xehanort whispering lies in his ear, and you know it,_ Naminé said.

            _Ventus idolized Terra and was always going to side with him without thinking critically, and you know it,_ Kairi said. _And honestly? Kid seems like a bit of an idiot._

            _Kairi, don’t be rude,_ Naminé scolded.

            _The point is, none of what happened here was your fault. Could things have been different if you had stopped the conversation to explain things fully? Maybe! But would Terra and Ventus have actually listened to you? Maybe not!_ Kairi said. _There’s no way to know, and it’s pointless to beat yourself up over the “could have happeneds” It’s not helpful._

Aqua stood and listened to this. No matter how many times she had turned things over in her head in the Realm of Darkness, she hadn’t considered things from this angle. Her starting point had always been that everything that had happened was not only preventable, but could have been prevented if she had just been better. This new way of looking at things was something of a shock to her system, and she didn’t know how to feel about it.

            _…Aqua?_ Naminé asked.

            “Y-yes?”

            _Were you… Have you been blaming yourself for this, this whole time? For everything that happened to you and your friends?_

            Slowly, reluctantly, Aqua nodded. Admitting it didn’t make it feel any better.

            _It’s not your fault. Hold on to that. It’s not your fault. And most importantly, it’s not too late to make a better future._

            Silently, Aqua nodded again. She pulled out one of the interim door cards, a Moment’s Reprieve, and made the next regular room into a rest area. “Do you mind, if I put you down for a second?” she asked. “I need… some time to think.” She meant cry.

            Naminé and Kairi seemed to realize she meant cry. _Of course,_ Naminé said.

            _Pick us back up when you’re ready,_ Kairi added.

            “Thank you,” Aqua murmured, and took the Naminé/Kairi card out of her sleeve, placing it gently on the floor, facedown. She slumped against the wall, and let all her feelings flow out.

 

 

           

            Eventually, Aqua got to her feet and picked up the card.

            _How are you feeling?_ Naminé asked.

            “Horrible,” Aqua said. “But I’ll live.”

            _We’re right here,_ Kairi said. Aqua could have imagined it, but she thought she felt something warm emanating from the card. The light from Kairi’s heart?

            She smiled. “Thank you.”

            Aqua left the rest area and proceeded to the final door.

            _I’m a little concerned as to what’s going to be in here,_ Kairi said. _Are you sure you’re going to be all right?_

            Aqua shook her head. “It should just be Vanitas again. And he went easier on me here than in Neverland. It should be fine.” She pushed the door open.

            Like she had assumed, she was in the main courtyard of Radiant Garden’s Outer Gardens. But something was wrong. She had fought Vanitas during the day. So why did this look like it was long past sundown?

            A figure stood in the centre of the courtyard, gazing up at the sky. “No…” Aqua whispered, “No, no, no, no!”

            _What is it, what’s wrong?_ Kairi asked, but Aqua couldn’t answer her. She ran over to the figure in the courtyard.

            His silver hair glinted in the moonlight.

            “Terra?” Aqua asked, desperate. Deep down, she knew that nothing would change, but she didn’t want to believe it.

            The man turned to look at her, and Naminé and Kairi both gasped at the pale yellow eyes.

            _Xemnas?_ Naminé whispered, but she was cut off by Kairi whispering _Xehanort!_

            Xehanort-in-Terra’s-body slowly reached out for Aqua, who tried to lean back out of his reach, but he grasped the straps of her harness and slowly lifted her into the air.

            A cloud of darkness swirled behind him as he ground out, in Xemnas’s unmistakable tones, “Who… am I?”

            “Such a terrible… darkness…” Aqua gasped, knowing the memory wouldn’t progress unless she did, “Fight it, Terra, please!”

            “Terra… you say?” said Terra-Xehanort. The darkness faded and he dropped Aqua. As she gasped for breath on the ground in front of him, he stumbled back, clutching his head. “Terra’s heart has been extinguished – smothered by the darkness within him!” Xehanort lunged forwards, summoning and swinging his Keyblade, but Aqua flipped backwards, away from him.

            She looked at the terror before her, and somehow found the same calm determination she’d had the last time this happened, summoning her own Keyblade. “My name is Master Aqua. Now return my friend’s heart or pay the price!”

 

 

            Fighting in Castle Oblivion was always going to be easier than the actual fights. That was a given, due to the card system and the way Aqua and Naminé’s shared deck was constructed.

            So it was a bit alarming to Naminé that Aqua seemed to be losing the fight.

            _Aqua, what’s wrong?_ she demanded as Aqua failed to block a sleight and was knocked back by a flurry of dark bolts.

            “Nothing! I’m fine!” she insisted.

            _Aqua, you could have won twice by now. I know this is traumatic but losing here solves nothing. Even if you do the Castle will just put you in front of the room again. The only way out is through._

            Aqua sniffed. “I… I can’t, Naminé. I can’t _do this_ again. It’s… Terra’s right _there_ , and I had to..! I had to..!”

            _Win first. Then break down. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay._

            Wrapping herself in Naminé’s confidence, Aqua persevered. There were gasps of shock from her sleeve as Xehanort abandoned his Keyblade and instead summoned his Guardian Heartless.

            “Stop! Blocking! My! Cards! You! Scum!” Aqua hissed, as her attacks bounced off of the Guardian. Eventually, she managed to knock him off balance, and finished the fight. She grabbed the Terra-Xehanort card and ran for the exit, shooting up the ladder and out into the landing before Naminé or Kairi could say anything.

            She collapsed to her knees on the other side of the door, struggling to hold in her tears, to be strong in front of the girls in her charge. Footsteps approached her, and Kairi’s shoes came into view.

            “…Do you want to tell me what happened?” Naminé asked.

            “…I won the fight. The darkness started to swallow Terra. I dived in after him, caught up with him, but only had the strength to save one of us. I sent my armour out with him, and became trapped in the Realm of Darkness. And because of that… _because of me…_ ”

            Naminé slapped her.

            Aqua’s eyes flew wide open and she looked at the other girl in confusion and mild pain. Naminé’s eyes burned with determination. “You are not responsible for Xehanort’s actions.”

            “But I–”

            “You are not responsible for Xemnas’s actions. You are not responsible for either Ansem’s actions. You are not responsible for what happened after you were lost to darkness.” There was a hard edge in Naminé’s eyes, but also a soft compassion.

            “If I hadn’t saved him from falling into darkness, we wouldn’t be here right now!” Aqua shouted.

            “Well, too bad! You did! You tried to save your friend! Wow, look at how horrible you are!” Naminé shouted back, matching her tone. “Tell me this, Aqua. Is Terra gone forever?”

            “What?”

            “Is Terra gone forever?” Aqua’s voice had gone back to normal, but Naminé’s was still raised. “Was Xehanort right, in that memory? Was his heart extinguished by darkness?”

            “No…” Aqua whispered.

            “I can’t hear you!”

            “No!” Aqua shouted back at her. “He’s _alive_! He’s _fighting_! He’s _still in there_ and he’s been fighting for _twelve years_!”

            Naminé let the silence hang for a second before saying in her normal speaking volume, “So it wasn’t pointless. You _did_ save Terra, at least partially.”

            “I…” Aqua’s eyes were still burning with the need to shed tears, but she couldn’t. Not right here, not right now, not in front of…

            Naminé placed a hand on her shoulder. “Aqua,” she said. The hard edge was gone, leaving only the compassion. “It’s okay to cry.”

            “What do you–?”

            “Aqua,” Naminé said again, and crouched down to look her right in the eyes. “You’re not our mother.”

            Aqua met her gaze, confused. “I… what?”

            “You’re not our mother,” Naminé repeated. “You’re our friend. You don’t have to be strong all the time in front of us. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay and take the lead when you need to fall apart. You don’t have to put our wellbeing in front of your own.

            “And… you’re not Terra and Ventus’s mother, either. You’re not responsible for their mistakes.”

            Aqua’s lower lip quivered, tears misting in the corner of her eyes, and Naminé caught her in a hug as she leaned forwards, starting to sob.

            Naminé let her cry, patting her back slightly awkwardly, until Aqua had let out enough. The Keyblade Master leaned back, and wiped the remaining tears away.

            “I’m sorry. I got your jacket wet,” she mumbled, and Naminé almost laughed.

            “Oh, Aqua, it’s fine, we can wash it later. They’re just clothes.”

            They both stood up, and Aqua pulled her remaining two cards out. “I’m not looking forwards to either of these, to be perfectly honest. One is part of my time in the Realm of Darkness, and the other…”

            “The other’s when whatever made Ventus sleep happened?”

            Aqua nodded. “When Xehanort infected Terra, too, but I didn’t see that part. Wait, that’s odd.” She looked closely at her cards, but both were still distorted. “I can’t use either of them? Did the Castle give you more cards?”

            Naminé checked her pockets, but found nothing new. “No, I don’t…” she trailed off, seeing a flash of something blue on the steps to the next floor. “Over there?”

            They walked over to the card and picked it up, checking the image on the face.

            “That can’t be right,” Aqua said. “This looks exactly like my Radiant Garden card. Have you ever been there?”

            “No, I haven’t,” Naminé mused. “I haven’t been to very many places, though. The other question is, why is it red?”

            There was a definite orange tint to the picture that hadn’t been there on Aqua’s version of the card.

            “Well, if it can’t be one of my memories, and it’s not one of yours, then it could only be…” Aqua trailed off, meeting Naminé’s eyes with matching concerned looks.

            They had both realized that a certain someone had been silent for a disturbingly long amount of time.

            “Kairi?” Naminé said, worried. “Did this come from you?”

            Quietly, so faintly they could barely hear her, Kairi said, “ _Please_ … don’t open that door.”

            “Why, what’s wrong?” Aqua asked, but neither of them could get Kairi to say anything else.

            Eventually Naminé sighed, and placed a hand over her heart. “Kairi, I’m very sorry about this, but like I said before, the only way out, is through.”

            She walked over to the next door, and with a concerned look at Aqua, activated the next floor. Slowly, she pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #AquaDidNothingWro... actually I can't finish that. She did do some things wrong. The problem is, what she gets blamed for in that scene by Ven and Terra is is no way her fault.  
> There's three possible reasons why that scene is the way it is, in my opinion. It's a problem with either the writing, the acting, or the direction. You can't say "Aqua shouldn't have been doing what she was doing and is letting her position as a Master make her full of herself" when she's there on Eraqus's explicit instructions, and when she just sounds scared for her friends. At no point does she talk down to them (more than she and Terra usually do to Ven, anyway); the "it doesn't sound like what the Master told you to do" line _could_ have come across as condescending, if it was acted to sound condescending. As it is she just sounds worried. Bonus points to Terra for making wild assumptions (there is a _reason_ why he's the Anakin Skywalker) and to Ven for immediately siding with him despite not understanding the context.  
>  (On a lighter note, I think the "he said to take two grown-ups" line is one of the best acted in the game. He just sounds so grumpy.)  
> Next week... we're still in Radiant Garden. But not from Aqua's point of view...


	9. Eighth Floor

            It had the same paved cobblestones as the previous floor. It had the same flowers and houses along the walls as the previous floor. It had the same fountains in the middle of the rooms as the previous floor. But there was one thing that was different.

            The whole floor glowed with an alarming orange tinge.

            “Kairi, please talk to me. What is this?” Naminé asked, but she received only silence in return. She shook her head, concerned, and plucked an Aqua card out of the air.

            _Still nothing?_ Aqua asked, and Naminé nodded. “I don’t know why she isn’t talking to me. Usually if she’s upset she says so. Unless…”

            _Unless?_

            “I need to check something,” Naminé said. “I’ll have to meditate for a bit.”

            _Make a Moment’s Reprieve room,_ Aqua suggested. _There won’t be any Heartless._

            Barely looking at the gold card the floor had given her, Naminé made the very next room into a rest area. She settled herself against the wall, crosslegged, and dived into the mental room she shared with Kairi.

            “Please talk to me, Kairi, I can’t help fix what’s bothering you if you don’t…” she trailed off.

            The room was empty.

            “That’s impossible.”

            The room was exactly as she had last seen it, split between Kairi’s Destiny Islands beach and Naminé’s own castle interior (which she was belatedly beginning to realize shared a colour scheme with the former Land of Departure), complete with the table in the centre that straddled the two rooms, that she and Kairi would normally sit at to chat.

            But Kairi wasn’t there.

            Naminé surfaced out of her meditation, near panic. “She’s not here.”

            _What do you mean she’s not there?_

            “I mean, she’s not here in her body, I can’t find her!”

            _That should be impossible, shouldn’t it?_

            “It _is_ impossible!” Naminé wailed. “I don’t know what happened!”

            _Naminé, breathe. With me. In, out._ Naminé followed Aqua’s instructions, and calmed a bit. _My guess here would be that the Castle doesn’t quite know how to deal with the two of you in one body. If this is based on Kairi’s memories, then she might be one of the memory rooms. You said it yourself, the only way out is through._

            “But what if she’s hurt, or…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought.

            _I don’t think she is. Can you feel that?_

            “Feel what?”

            She got the impression of a smile. _The light. Kairi’s light. I can still feel it. She’s close._

            Naminé rose unsteadily to her feet. “Then there’s no point in waiting.”

            The two cut a swath through the assembled Heartless to the first memory door, but as she went to activate it, Naminé noticed something odd.

            “…This card is wrong.”

            _What do you mean?_

            “I mean, the first door card is supposed to have a key, then the next a heart, then the third a Heartless emblem. This one… has all three.”

            _That’s… alarming_ , Aqua managed.

            “Is Kairi in there?”

            Aqua concentrated for a second. _Yes. Her light is very close._

            “Then we’re going in.”

 

 

            Naminé and Aqua had wandered into Hell.

            The orange glow in the Castle’s rooms suddenly made a horrifying amount of sense, seeing as in Kairi’s memory, Radiant Garden was on fire.

            _She said she didn’t remember the Fall_ , Aqua whispered, mortified.

            “She also said she didn’t remember you, until she saw you. Maybe seeing Radiant Garden in your memories…”

            _…brought hers back to the surface,_ Aqua agreed.

            “It’s not your fault,” Naminé said immediately.

            _I…_ Aqua said, then sighed. _Thank you._

            Naminé ran through Radiant Garden’s streets, using Aqua as a dowsing rod to find Kairi. As she ran, she passed multitudes of people, all fleeing in terror from something, likely the Emblem Heartless that had just been released from Ansem’s laboratory. To make matters worse, everyone that was fleeing was running in the opposite direction from where Aqua said she could feel Kairi’s light.

            _Heartless!_ Aqua called, and Naminé instinctively swung her Keyblade. To her surprise, she engaged them in combat, just like in any other room on the floor.

            “That wasn’t supposed to happen,” she said, once the Soldiers were dispatched. “Not in memory rooms.”

            _Is the Castle changing the rules on us?_

            “Maybe. But we can ask ourselves that another time. We have to find–”

            A piercing scream from up ahead cut her off. “Kairi!”

            Naminé ran for the source of the scream, to find a small, red-haired child in a white and pink dress, huddled under an overhang made of rubble to avoid being grabbed by a multitude of Shadows.

            Incensed, both by the Shadows she knew were a memory and the Castle that was doing this to her friend, Naminé cleared out the Heartless, and looked into the tiny space.

            Kairi sat within, on the verge of tears, terrified.

            “Kairi, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize this would happen!” Naminé said.

            Kairi sniffed. “Who… who’re you?”

            “Aqua, this is her, right?” Naminé asked.

            _Yes, I can feel her light. This is definitely Kairi_ , Aqua said.

            “My name is Naminé, I’m here to rescue you,” Naminé said to Kairi. If she couldn’t remember her for some reason, well, they’d deal with that as it came. Right now, getting through the memory was what was important.

            “I… I don’t know you. I’m scared,” Kairi whispered. She pulled herself further back into the hole, out of Naminé’s reach.

            “I know, things are very scary right now, but you have to trust me,” Naminé said. She suddenly had an idea. “Kairi, do you know what this is?” She summoned her Keyblade and held it out for Kairi to look at.

            Kairi started to shake her head, then stopped. “Aqua!” she said, surprised.

            “That’s right. It’s a Keyblade, like Aqua had. She kept you safe, right?” Kairi nodded. “Well, I’m going to keep you safe, too.”

            She could see the gears grinding in Kairi’s head. True, things were scary right now, and she didn’t know this strange girl, but the girl had a Keyblade, and the last person she met with a Keyblade had been really nice…

            Kairi pulled herself out of the hole, cautiously. “Do you mind if I pick you up?” Naminé asked her, and Kairi shook her head. Carefully, Naminé lifted Kairi in her arms, balancing her against her shoulder.

            She had an idea. “Kairi, you remember Aqua, right?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Would you like to talk to her? I have a magic card here that will let you hear her voice.” She had picked up a couple spare summon cards during the fights with the Heartless, and had stored them in her deck for later use.

            Kairi looked confused, but nodded. Naminé pulled out one of the Aqua cards, and gave it to her. “You have to hold on to it to be able to hear her, okay?

            _Hello, Kairi,_ Aqua said, and Kairi gasped.

            “I can hear her!” she said to Naminé, excited, and Naminé grinned.

            _Kairi, Naminé is a friend. She’s going to keep you safe, okay?_

            “Okay!” Kairi said, nodding her head and looking at the card in awe.

            _I’m a bit concerned, though,_ Aqua said.

            “About what?” Naminé asked.

            _We weren’t here in the actual memories. So how did Kairi actually escape the Shadows?_

            As Aqua spoke, a looming sense of dread washed over Naminé and Kairi. Both girls shivered, and froze when a deep voice sounded from behind them.

            “Ah, now that light seems especially… delicious.”

            Naminé whirled around to see a tall man with deeply tanned skin, orange eyes, and long, near-white silver hair that trailed down his back. A familiar black and grey overcoat was worn over a white tunic, black pants, and equally familiar black boots with silver trim. The man’s interior shirt was open to expose an uncomfortably buff chest, and stretched across that chest, the Heartless emblem.

            “…oh fffffudge,” Naminé managed, weakly, side-eyeing the four-and-a-half-year-old Kairi.

            _Is that..?_ Aqua gasped.

            Naminé nodded, backing away from the figure. “Xehanort’s Heartless. Or as he calls himself, Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.”

            Ansem took a step towards them. “I require that child. Her heart contains the purest of lights; it will be necessary to open the door to Kingdom Hearts, and the ultimate power of Darkness.”

            “Over my dead body,” Naminé shot back, continuing to step away.

            Ansem leered. “That won’t be hard to arrange. Now, _submit!_ ” He lunged forwards, and Naminé caught his hand on her Keyblade. His eyes widened.

            “Like I said,” she challenged, “You’re not going to lay a finger on her!”

            Ansem frowned. “You… what are you?”

            “I’m Kairi’s friend. And I’m the one who’s going to keep her safe. That’s all you need to know!” Naminé sounded confident but she was becoming keenly aware of Aqua’s point on the previous floor; it was going to be more difficult to fight with Kairi in her arms.

            Kairi seemed to realize this, too. She wiggled her way around to Naminé’s back, holding on tightly to her jacket. “Good girl,” Naminé whispered, and fell into a ready stance.

            “Come, Guardian!” Ansem shouted, and the black Guardian Heartless formed behind him. Naminé gulped, but stood tall.

 

 

            Naminé dodged out of the way of two bolts of lightning she hadn’t been able to counter. She was having the same frustration that Aqua had had: Ansem would bring his Guardian up to cover himself at the worst times, meaning her cards would simply glance off of it instead of hitting him.

            Further complicating things was the fact that she could not allow Ansem to get behind her, no matter what. Kairi was holding on for dear life, but if he so much as touched her, all would be lost. Naminé knew that in reality, contact with Ansem had likely activated Aqua’s spell and sent Kairi to the Destiny Islands, but she couldn’t be sure that that was how to resolve the memory. And with Kairi’s heart being in the memory of her child self and not in her proper body, she had no idea if allowing even the memory of Xehanort’s Heartless to come into contact with her would hurt her in some way.

            She jumped back, and launched a sleight she had created from spare Aqua cards. The Spellweaver whirlwind caught Ansem and held him in place for a bit, long enough for Naminé to take stock of her options. So far, hitting him really hard had been working, but not fast enough for her comfort. And the Guardian was always a problem.

            Spellweaver released Ansem, who collapsed to the ground but quickly got to his feet, ice sloughing off his clothing. Naminé took advantage of his lack of attention, but Ansem flung up a card of his own just in time.

            The two ‘9’s collided against each other in a spark of light.

            _What’s going on?_ Aqua asked, but Naminé didn’t have time to talk, too busy throwing out cards to beat Ansem’s.

            Five ‘9’s built up into a stack as Naminé knocked him off balance, and the powerful strike resulting from this knocked Ansem to his knees.

            “Why do… you refuse… the Darkness?” he gasped, and burst into a cloud of shadow, leaving behind a grey-backed card.

            Panting, Naminé slumped to her knees as well, and Kairi let go of her back.

            “Miss Naminé, are you okay?” she asked, afraid but also curious.

            Naminé smiled at her. “I’m okay, Kairi. That was very brave of you.”

            Kairi pursed her lips. “I don’t feel brave. Just scared.”

            “You want to know a secret?” Naminé asked. Kairi nodded and leaned in close. “I was scared, too.”

            Kairi’s eyes bugged out. “Really? But you’re so big and strong and beautiful!”

            Aqua let out a snort of laughter. Kairi had dropped her card during the fight, and hadn’t picked up a new one, so her comments were between her and Naminé. _Really, Kairi?_

            “And she still doesn’t believe she can be attracted to girls,” Naminé muttered, but continued to smile at Kairi. “Of course. Being brave is all about doing what’s right even if it’s scary.”

            “Do you think I’m going to be brave like that when I’m as big as you?”

            Naminé refrained from pointing out that even at this age, Kairi was still two years her senior. “I think you will be. Now, come on, let’s go find your grandmother.”

            “Okay!” Kairi took Naminé’s hand, and Naminé led the way to the room’s exit door.

            As they walked through the doorway, the memory Kairi burst into fragments of light, and a warm feeling suffused Naminé’s chest. “Kairi?” she asked, uncertain. “Are you back?”

            “I… was I gone? I feel like I’ve had the weirdest dream…” her own voice answered. “Where are we?”

            “Kairi!” Naminé shouted, and wrapped her arms around herself, falling against the wall with the ladder to the next floor in relief.

            “Naminé? What’s going on? And why do I feel so much taller?” Kairi asked.

            _It’s a long story,_ said Aqua, _but I’m glad to see you’re back in one piece._

            Kairi shook her head. “The two of you have some explaining to do.”

           

 

            Aqua and Naminé filled Kairi in on what had just happened as Naminé climbed up the ladder to the next floor, and exited onto the landing.

            “…I remember it now,” Kairi said, slowly.

            “What just happened?” Aqua asked.

            “…No.” Kairi looked up at her, tears in her eyes. “The Fall.”

            “Oh. I’m sorry,” Aqua said, placing a hand on Kairi’s shoulder in sympathy.

            Kairi laughed a bit, but her eyes still watered. “It’s funny, almost. I can remember it, but every time I do, there’s… a stab of pain in my heart. Like I grabbed something hot and immediately dropped it before it could burn me. But… the memories keep coming back. I’ll try to focus on something else, and… no, right back to the painful memories. I don’t _want_ to keep thinking about them, but… I can’t _stop_.”

            “You haven’t had time to process them,” Naminé said, gently. “It will get easier as time goes by. Grief is a strange thing. It takes time, and you haven’t had any yet.”

            “I’ve had twelve years, Naminé.”

            “You only remembered it just now. They don’t count.” Naminé looked over at Aqua as she spoke, and the look on the Keyblade Master’s face made it clear she understood Naminé wasn’t just talking to Kairi.

            “You’re going to be okay. It’ll take time, but you’re going to be okay. Both of you,” Naminé said. She reached over and squeezed Kairi’s right hand, locking eyes with Aqua.

            Aqua smiled, but then seemed to realize something. With a terrified look, she reached into her pocket and retrieved her last two cards, now both clear.

            “I’m sorry, Naminé. But I don’t think I’m going to be okay for a while yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly surprised.  
> I'm sure a bunch of you figured out what it was supposed to be, but no one actually asked about it.  
> In KLEA, why exactly _did_ Kairi's Dark Side cave vision change from Sora and Riku rejecting her, to a burning cityscape?  
>  Now we know why! (I play the longest of games. You have no idea.)  
> This is also why, on the first floor, Kairi thought Terra looked familiar. This AU runs with the idea that Ansem, Xemnas, and Terra are all identical, although upon further thought while writing these fics I've come to the conclusion that Ansem isn't supposed to look like Terra and Xemnas, but rather a 30-something Xehanort.  
> If you're wondering how the actual event went, Ansem destroyed the Shadows, pulled Kairi out of the hole, and then Aqua's spell activated. It tossed Kairi to the Destiny Islands (and gave Ansem a nasty sunburn, probably) and she woke up there unable to remember what had just happened. 'Cause, you know. Traumatic.  
> This makes... I want to say four boss battles essentially stolen from Chain of Memories, now? Marluxia, Maleficent, Axel, and now Ansem... I think that's all of them. It makes it easier to visualize the fights when they're actual fights. In case it's not recognizable (or you haven't played CoM), what happened between Naminé and Ansem was a clash. Essentially, you and the boss matched cards, so the boss presents five cards and you have about ten seconds to find cards in your deck with higher values. If you do it, those five cards become a super-strong sleight. It might have been a mechanic in Riku's story alone due to his deck being pre-made, I don't quite remember.  
> See you next week for one more heavy chapter before we get back to some lighter stuff; Kairi, at least, has a lot of good memories.


	10. Ninth Floor

            They stopped a while for Aqua and Kairi to compose themselves, during which time Naminé found an additional two cards in her pocket. One showed a brownish city at nightfall, lit by numerous neon lights and a large number “3”, and the other an intimidating and apparently floating grey, white, and silver castle. She recognized both of them, but only one of them from her own memories and the other from Sora’s, so she assumed these were both intended for Kairi. It seemed like the Castle was done forcing her through her own memories, though she knew she still had a role to play in Kairi’s.

            It still wasn’t enough cards, though. These two and Aqua’s two would get them through the twelfth floor. When Sora had been here, the thirteenth floor hadn’t been activated, but without the Organization influencing the Castle Naminé had no reason to believe this would remain true.

            Castle Oblivion was plotting something, she was sure of it. But they’d weathered everything it had thrown at them thus far, and she was confident they’d make it through.

 

 

            Aqua took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. She knew what the card in her hand was, and she wasn’t confident she’d make it through the events without bursting into tears. It was helpful to know Naminé and Kairi weren’t expecting her to take everything stoically, but reliving these events was going to be tough.

            “Can I… tell you about what’s going to happen in the next memory?” she asked. Naminé and Kairi both perked up.

            “Of course,” Kairi said, and Naminé nodded her agreement.

            Aqua took another deep breath. “The card I’m going to use next is for a world that is officially known as the Badlands. But, we also know it by another name.

            “We called it the Keyblade Graveyard.”

 

 

            Aqua gingerly pushed the ninth floor’s door open to reveal a tan desert. Oblong shapes stuck out of the ground in the distance, or at least the walls were “painted” to make it seem like they were.

            _This is where the Keyblade War happened?_ Kairi asked.

            “We think so,” Aqua confirmed. “I don’t know any other reason why there would be so many abandoned and broken Keyblades all in one place.”

            _Why here, though?_ Naminé wondered. _What was special about this world?_

            “I don’t think it was always a wasteland. I think that was the War,” Aqua said. “There might even have been a city here, once. The Master’s old texts used to mention a world that was important to Keybearers that never came up in our lessons, and that we could never find on any map. ‘Day-’ something or other.”

            _Huh. No idea,_ Kairi said.

            Aqua made her way to the first memory door, as the gold card once again bore just the image of the key. Nervously, she pushed it open, and found herself walking through a natural lane in the scattered Keyblades.

            Terra was standing in a crossroads, waiting for her. She walked up to him, and stopped.

            “I was told…” she said, voice low, “the Master was struck down.”

            Terra’s eyes widened, and he looked away, ashamed. “Yes… that’s right. I was stupid and helped Xehanort do it.”

            Aqua was supposed to gasp. She didn’t. “The Master – he tried to hurt Ven,” Terra continued, voice low. “I only fought because I wanted to protect him. But I was tricked. Xehanort set the whole thing up – all so he could awaken the darkness inside me.” He finally looked up to meet Aqua’s eyes. “You were right, Aqua – and so was the Master. I did need to be watched. I went astray – but no more.”

            He needed comfort. He needed her to say that she could forgive him. He needed to know that he hadn’t lost her friendship through his stupidity, the way he had lost everything else. Aqua realized that now.

            But at the time, she had said, “What else is darkness but hate and rage? Xehanort is feeding the dark fires within you – making you fight. You’ll go astray again. Tell me – how does that honor our Master’s memory, Terra?”

            She said the words again, knowing they were wrong. “Are you still going to tell me I couldn’t have been better?” she asked Naminé, bitter.

            _I never said you couldn’t have been better. I said you being better wouldn’t have fixed things. You’re only human, Aqua. You can’t be perfect, and that’s not something blameworthy, that’s just how things are,_ Naminé said.

            Further introspection was interrupted by Ven walking down another path to meet them in the crossroads. “Xehanort wants me and Vanitas to fight, and make some kind of ‘χ–blade’. But the Master said we can’t let that happen… and he tried to destroy me for it.” Ven didn’t sound angry, or anguished, or confused.

            He just sounded broken.

            “χ–blade?” Aqua asked, her heart breaking anew.

            “I still don’t know exactly what it is,” Ven admitted. “But… it scares me to death. Even just the thought of it.”

            Terra stepped forwards and put a hand on Ven’s shoulder. “Relax, Ven,” he said, tone forcedly cheerful. “We’re here and we’re gonna take care of you.” Aqua stepped forwards as well, but Ven’s mood didn’t change.

            “I may have to fight Vanitas after all,” he said. “If I do, guys… I want you to–”

            “The three of us can never be torn apart, all right?” Terra interrupted. “I’ll always find a way.”

            Aqua kneeled down in front of Ven, and placed a hand on his cheek. But Ven took her hand off of it, and removed Terra’s from his shoulder, saying, “I’m asking you, as a friend… Just… put an end to me.”

            _Oh,_ Aqua _,_ Kairi gasped, as Aqua and Terra both reeled back from Ven, shocked. _Have you been carrying that all this time?_

            Aqua started to tear up, and nodded. “Terra… the last thing he asked of me… was the same thing,” she confessed. She could feel the compassion outpouring from the card in her sleeve, but the memory wasn’t over.

            Further down the lanes in the Keyblades, two figures approached, one elderly and hunched over, one short but wearing an intimidating mask. Xehanort and Vanitas stopped some distance away from them. “Behold…” Xehanort rumbled. “These lifeless keys used to be full of power – united with the hearts of their masters. On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat… as a great Keyblade War raged.” He spread out his hands, gesticulating to indicate the scale of the conflict. “Countless Keyblade wielders gave up their lives in search of one, ultimate key. And it will soon belong to me…” He reached out a finger and pointed it straight at Ventus. “χ–blade,” he declared.

            Aqua reached for her shoulder pauldron to summon her armour, but at that point, the memory ended.  Stiffly, she walked to the room’s exit.

            “After that,” she murmured as she made her way to the next room, “Terra attacked, and Xehanort made a mountain grow from the ground. Terra pursued him to the top. Xehanort somehow made a swarm of damaged Keyblades form into a whirlwind and attack us, with Vanitas directing it. I blocked them from hitting Terra, and Ven tried to attack Xehanort, but he grabbed him by the head and…” she trailed off.

            _You don’t need to tell us if it hurts too much,_ Naminé said.

            Aqua shook her head. “Xehanort summoned Kingdom Hearts. Not a fake one, the real one. I don’t know if it’s intrinsically tied to the Keyblade Graveyard, or if he was able to do it because he was a master, or some other reason.” The next memory door beckoned, and with a heavy heart, Aqua opened it.

 

 

            _Oh no. What happened to Ventus?_ Naminé asked.

            Aqua was kneeling, supporting the body of her friend, who was looking at her in terror, his eyes the only thing he could move.

            “Xehanort used Blizzard on him,” Aqua said, quietly. “He’s frozen stiff.”

            _Oh his_ head _?!_ Kairi asked, furious. _That rat bastard._

            “How about you leave the popsicle with me, so you can go have your little fight with Terra,” said a voice, which Aqua recognized instantly.

            Though she didn’t know it, Kairi and Naminé also recognized it.

            “You can’t be too happy about him deep-sixing your Master,” Braig mocked, stepping into view. He laughed.

            “Who are you?” Aqua demanded. “This is Braig,” she added for Kairi and Naminé’s benefit. “He was a guard in Radiant Garden that joined up with Xehanort.”

            _…We know,_ Kairi muttered.

            _…We knew him as Xigbar. Number II of Organization XIII,_ Naminé explained.

            “You _what_?”

            “You think you two have got some grand role to play. As if. You’re only here so that when I finish you off… Terra will succumb to the darkness,” Braig interrupted. “So, who wants to go first?”

            Ven shook, and glared at Braig. “Shut up!” he yelled.

            Braig gasped in mock fear. “Oh, so this kiddo thinks he’s a full-fledged Keyblade wielder? He’s got the angry look down.”

            “Go ahead if you want to waste your time,” Aqua challenged. “Keep trying to drive us apart with your mindgames. It’ll never work!” She gently lowered the still-frozen Ven to the ground, stood, and summoned her Keyblade. “Terra will prove to you he’s stronger!”

            There was a flash of white light, and when it faded, Braig was reeling back, panting. _I guess you’re not allowed to do more than one big fight per floor,_ Naminé mused.

            “I keep forgetting – don’t mess with Keyblade wielders,” Braig said, still out of breath, but amused. “But you know what? That just means I made the right choice!”

            “I still have no idea what he meant by that,” Aqua muttered, and started to run towards him.

            “Well… he wanted me to buy time, and I’d say he got it,” Braig said. Just as Aqua reached him, he turned tail and ran away.

            “What?” Aqua asked, then turned back to look at her frozen friend. “Ven!”

            Ven was still struggling against the ice, but he was able to look up in fright and yell a warning. “Aqua!”

            _Above you!_ Kairi shrieked, but this time Aqua didn’t even bother to check, just leapt out of the way as Vanitas brought his Keyblade down on her.

            The memory ended there. “I didn’t dodge that. He knocked me unconscious. I… still don’t know why he didn’t kill me with that strike. He wanted Ven angry enough to fight him… and that would have done it.”

            _He probably wanted you to see what he was trying to do,_ Naminé reasoned. _I assume Vanitas will be waiting for us behind the final door?_

            Aqua took a deep, haggard breath. “Yes… and no.” She wouldn’t say anything else.

 

 

            _His eyes were yellow,_ Kairi suddenly said. _And his ears were pointed._

            “Huh?”

            _Braig._

 _Xigbar always had yellow eyes and pointed ears, though,_ Naminé said.

            _Yes… but what if Braig didn’t?_

            “I’m sorry, I’m completely lost,” Aqua said.

            _I’m trying to think of what he meant by ‘making the right choice’,_ Kairi explained. _And I think… when he fought you there, he had already agreed to be one of Xehanort’s vessels. Hence the gold eyes and pointed ears._

            Naminé gasped. _And Xigbar had streaks of silver hair that Braig didn’t! He didn’t look old enough for that!_

            “That’s… troubling,” Aqua said, trying to forget about the fight waiting for her. “And he’s still one of Xehanort’s vessels?”

            _The only willing one that isn’t a version of Xehanort himself, as far as we know,_ Kairi confirmed.

            “That’s… unfortunate. I really didn’t want to see him again. Ever.”

            _He’s kind of a douchenozzle_ , Kairi agreed.

            There was a second of silence.

            _No ‘Language’ comment?_ Naminé asked.

            “Is that a bad word? Twelve years ago it was just a hygiene item. A useless one, which I figured was why you were using it as a derogative, but not something offensive.” 

            Kairi snorted. _No, I think you got the meaning. But for future reference it’s not something I’d call someone in front of Dad or Yen Sid or King Mickey._

            “Noted,” Aqua said, with the ghost of a smile. She looked at the next memory door, and sighed. “This one will be rough. While I was unconscious, Vanitas tried to fuse with Ven. And… he succeeded. Partially, since he and Ven were still two people. Unlike you two, they were fighting each other in Ven’s heart. That’s part of the reason why it was so damaged that it had to return to Sora to heal.”

            _So Ven’s heart wasn’t in Sora from the day they first made contact?_ Kairi asked.

            “No. I actually listened to this part of Master Yen Sid’s explanation. The initial contact between them stabilized Ven’s heart, so that he didn’t die, but it was still broken. And then, after… this,” she gestured at the door, “it was so damaged it sought refuge inside Sora’s heart, to mend the breaks. Master Yen Sid thinks that there’s been plenty of time for Ven to heal, so his heart should be whole again by now.” She grimaced. “This is still going to be rough.”

            _You’re not alone, Aqua,_ Naminé offered.

            _We’re right here with you,_ Kairi agreed.

            Aqua actually smiled at that. “Thank you both.” She stepped through the door.

 

 

            Aqua found herself lying on the ground, with a familiar face peering down at her. “Gosh, I’m glad you’re okay,” said Mickey, jumping back as she got to her feet.            

            “Ven!” Aqua yelled, looking around, but they were alone.

            Up on the hill behind her, Ven, thawed, was sitting motionless. _They’re fighting inside his heart?_ Kairi asked, and Aqua nodded.

            “Oh, thank goodness,” she mumbled, knowing things weren’t okay. “Ven! You’re safe.” She walked slowly over to him, feet dragging on every step.

            _…what is he holding?_ Kairi asked, alarmed.

            “I’m sure you can guess,” Aqua responded, dully.

            _The χ–blade,_ Naminé said, and Aqua nodded. _It’s… kind of simpler-looking than I thought it would be._

 _Although I guess this isn’t the real one, right?_ Kairi asked.

            “It’s real enough,” Aqua said. “Ven?” she asked, bending low to see his face.

            Mickey ran up behind her, and gasped upon seeing the χ–blade.

            Ven looked up. Kairi and Naminé sucked in a breath at the sight of his gold eyes. He lunged towards Aqua with the χ–blade, but Mickey jumped in between to parry just in time.

            “That’s not Ven!” Mickey shouted. A dark aura surrounded Ven, changing his Keyblade armor into the skintight dark suit they had previously seen on Vanitas.

            “Correct,” said the person before them, in a voice that overlaid Vanitas’s deeper tones over Ven’s lighter ones. “I am not Ventus. His heart has become a part of mine now.”

            Mickey, Kairi, and Naminé all gasped. Aqua had seen this before, and merely glared.

            “This χ–blade will open a door – one that leads to all worlds!” Vanitas-Ventus declared, raising the χ–blade above his head.

            _Kind of awkward that he’s holding it by the guards and not by either of the grips, right?_ Kairi managed, but there was a note of panic in her tone, and she was clearly making jokes to cope.

            “Then, Keyblade-bearing warriors will flock here from each and every one of them, to battle for the light within Kingdom Hearts!” Vanitas-Ventus continued, not able to hear her interruption. “And just like the legend says, the Keyblade War will begin!”

            “Shut up!” The words tore themselves, angry and tired, from Aqua’s throat. “I’m sick of your nonsense! Give Ven his heart back!”

            To Aqua’s surprise, Mickey didn’t disappear when the battle began. She wasn’t sure if he also was using cards, but his hits were doing damage to Vanitas-Ventus.

            Her opponent still hit like a truck. The first time through she had had potions, her magic, and her D-links with the people she’d met to restore her health. Now, she had luck, good timing, and quick sidesteps. The oversized χ–blade was difficult to dodge, even if it was easier to block this time around, given her cards.

            Her command styles had also made this fight much easier. She was looking forwards to getting them back outside Castle Oblivion.

            She dodged a shot of lighting, then danced out of the way again as Vanitas-Ventus flickered and disappeared. “You’re already too late!” he taunted, as he flashed back into being and made a huge chunk of ice erupt from where he hit the ground.

            And she was. This wasn’t real, nothing she did here could change what had happened.

            But… maybe that wasn’t the point.

            She didn’t need to change what had happened.

            What was _going_ to happen was entirely within her control.

            “You know what?” Aqua said. “You’re right. I am too late. I couldn’t stop _any_ of this from happening.”

            _Aqua?_ Naminé asked, alarmed.

            “But you know what else? That doesn’t matter!” she shouted at Vanitas-Ventus. “Because you’re _dead_ , Ven’s _safe_ , Xehanort _lost_ to me, and Terra _will_ find a way to beat him!” She took the opportunity to launch a Naminé/Kairi sleight.

            The two girls whirled into being, Kairi solid, Naminé flickering beside her, and both raised Keyblades into the air. They spun in a tight circle, slashing at Vanitas-Ventus forehand, again backhand, and then a final coup-de-grace stroke downwards that slammed him into the ground.

            Aqua stalked towards Vanitas-Ventus, who struggled to his feet, looking shocked. “I’m done. I’m not letting my failures define me anymore. Because I have something you don’t.”

            Unable to respond, Vanitas-Ventus roared, and swung at her. Aqua cancelled the strike, and grinned at him.

            “I… have _another_ _chance_. And you… can go _fuck_ _yourself!_ ”

            She slashed downwards, and time seemed to slow as Vanitas-Ventus vanished into clouds of darkness, leaving a card in his wake. Feeling proud for the first time in forever, Aqua picked it up and looked at the picture of the yellow-eyed Ven.

            “Hold on, Ven. I’m coming to get you,” she said, smiling.

 

 

            “Sooooooo,” Kairi drawled as soon as they were on the landing. “Are we going to talk about what just happened?”

            “About me choosing to stop agonizing over things I can’t change?” Aqua asked.

            “Noooooo,” Kairi said, grinning. She pushed herself onto her tip-toes to whisper in Aqua’s ear, “ _You said a bad word_.”

            Aqua immediately blushed. “It… seemed appropriate, given the circumstances.”

            “Really, Kairi?” Naminé asked, amused.

            “Really what?”

            “Hello, pot, my name is kettle. You say bad words,” Naminé teased.

            “Shhhhhh I grew up in a port town. Of course I swear.”

            “Sora doesn’t,” Naminé pointed out.

            Kairi rolled their eyes. “That’s different. Sora is pure.”

            “Uh-huh,” Naminé said, disbelief evident. “You haven’t seen his fantasies.”

            “Wait… his what?” Naminé didn’t answer, smirking. “His _what_ , Naminé? Come on!”

            Aqua looked at the both of them and laughed. She suddenly realized why she was laughing, which made her laugh even harder, until she was doubled over and both of them were looking at her like she’d grown a second head.

            “Aqua? You good?” Kairi asked.

            “I’m fine, I’m fine, it’s just…” Aqua straightened up, still giggling at the thought. “I… I used to say that Terra and Ven would make the strangest brothers, because we were all essentially siblings even though we were all so different. But you two? It’s absolutely believable that the two of you are sisters. Just similar enough to know how to push each other’s buttons, just different enough to get along.” She kept giggling. “And… I’m glad to have you both as friends.”

            Immediate shock crossed both girls’ face, replaced by a wide grin of joy that Aqua knew they were both wearing. “We’re glad to have you as a friend, too,” Naminé said. “Absolutely,” Kairi added. “Now, _dear_ sister, you have some _explaining_ to do!”

            “Nope! His business, not mine!”

            “Naminé!”

            Aqua laughed again. For the first time since she had left the Realm of Darkness, the future looked bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you know what's messed up?  
> Both of Aqua's best friends asked her to kill them within the space of (likely) twenty-four hours. And then she had to try to. And technically succeeded. Twice. (True, neither of them died for real, but she still beat Ven and Terra('s bodies) into unconsciousness.)  
> That's messed up.  
> Not much else to say, I don't think. The Kairi/Naminé sleight Aqua uses is supposed to resemble the Mirage Split/Nightmare's End Reality Shift from 3D.  
> Oh! One thing! I wrote this before catching up with KHUx. I still love the theory that the Keyblade Graveyard is modern-day Daybreak Town, but there's some stuff in the more recent cutscenes that indicates that might not be the case. To whit, the new union leaders meet in the Keyblade Graveyard, and then seem to travel to the Foretellers' citadel/castle/tower thing to go through their papers. That citadel was in Daybreak Town, and it seems to be intact while existing simultaneously with the Keyblade Graveyard, so... I dunno!  
> Next week... Something quite a bit lighter. Cause it's Kairi time!


	11. Tenth Floor

            Kairi frowned, dubious. “So you’re saying… these two cards, they’re _my_ memories?”

            Naminé nodded. “This one might not be, because I know I’ve been here, too,” she said, indicating the one with the castle. “But this one is _definitely_ yours. I’ve never been to Traverse Town.”

            Kairi lifted the card, studying in. “Huh. I wonder what the Castle thinks I want to change about–” she stopped, eyes widening. “I know exactly what it thinks I want to change. And it’s right. I want to kick that jerk’s butt.” A nasty grin slowly formed on her face.

            “Should I be concerned?” Aqua asked. “What happened to you in this Traverse Town?”

            “No, it’s okay, I speak Kairi,” Naminé said, drily. “She said ‘kick their butt’, not ‘kick their ass’, so it’s a friendly thing.”

            “Mostly friendly,” Kairi agreed. “So, I just hold this up to the door?”

            “Yes. And then fight your way to the first memory.”

            “Or, dodge my way to the first memory,” Kairi smirked.

            Naminé sighed. “Either or.”

 

 

            It was a little disconcerting having the sky be completely black, but the room were brightly lit with orange lanterns, highlighting the brown brick buildings. Kairi strode through the rooms, the first person on this trip excited to be in the Castle.

            _So what world is Traverse Town?_ Aqua asked. _It’s not a world I’m familiar with._

            “Oh, Traverse Town doesn’t exist,” Kairi explained, unhelpfully.

            _Excuse me?_

            “Traverse Town comes into existence when people need somewhere to escape to outside their world,” Naminé explained, more helpfully. “When Radiant Garden fell, some of its citizens that escaped the disaster wound up in Traverse Town. Sora ended up there, too, when the Destiny Islands had their heart stolen.”

            “Sora and Riku even found a version of it in the Realm of Sleep during their Mastery test,” Kairi added. “There were some people there from a world called… Shibuya, I think? Anyway, something really bad happened to them, and a friend of theirs rescued them by saving their dream selves, or something. I’m not really clear on the details. Apparently when he was looking for a place to keep them safe, Traverse Town just appeared to him.”

            _Fascinating. What circumstances were you here under?_

            Kairi grinned. “Well, I had just been saved by a dashing hero, and I was staying here while he went on in hopes of saving our boyfriend-to-be.”

            “Sora brought her here to keep her safe while he fought Xehanort’s Heartless, and tried to find Riku,” Naminé explained.

            “I stayed with the people who are now the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee,” Kairi added. “Whom you should be meeting… shortly.” She stopped in front of the first memory door, and unlocked it.

 

 

           

            She had been expecting to be in a little, green-wallpapered room in Traverse Town’s Third District. Instead, she found herself in a rocky cavern, lit by two braziers and several fireflies. There was a mural on the back wall, and an old room off to her right.

            Of course, she recognized it. “A light at the end of the tunnel…” she murmured.

            “Oh, your grandma’s story, right?” asked a very young voice next to her. She turned, and smiled at fourteen-year-old Sora.

            “That’s right. We were together,” she said, smiling.

            _Light above. I don’t think Ven was ever_ that _young,_ Aqua said in awe.

            “You know what’s funny?” Sora asked. “I looked everywhere for you, but you were with me all along. Finally, we’re together, Kairi. Now, it’s time to get Riku back.”

            “You think it’ll ever be the same again between us?” Kairi asked. “Riku’s lost his…” she trailed off.

            Sora smiled gently. “When I turned into a Heartless, you saved me, remember? I was lost in the darkness. I couldn’t find my way. As I stumbled through the dark, I started forgetting things- - my friends, who I was. The darkness almost swallowed me. But then I heard a voice- - your voice. You brought me back.” The look in his eyes was so adoring, Kairi wondered why it had taken as long as it had for everything to click.

            “I didn’t want to just forget about you, Sora. I couldn’t,” she explained.

            “That’s it!” Sora said, turning back towards the mural Kairi had been looking at when he came in. “Our hearts are connected. And the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light. I think that’s what saved me. No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within,” he declared, with all the seriousness and solemnity that comes from being fourteen. “I guess it’s more than just a fairy tale.”

            “So you think we can save Riku from the darkness?” she asked. This was the test; she hadn’t said that at the time. If Sora responded, Castle Oblivion was letting her alter her memories. If he didn’t, it wasn’t.

            Sora flashed her the widest of grins. “I know we can!”

            Hypothesis confirmed. Kairi smiled. If she could change one thing about this…

            “Hey Sora?” she asked, stepping closer.

            “Yeah, Kairi?” he replied.

            “What if… when we get Riku back… I didn’t want things to be the way they used to be between the three of us?”

            Sora frowned. “What do you mean?” he asked, confused and a little worried.

            She leaned over and kissed his cheek. His face immediately turned bright red. “W-wh-wh-wh–” he sputtered, and Kairi smiled at him.

            “I like you, Sora. You, and Riku, too. I like you both.”

            His eyes widened in understanding. “…oh.”

            Kairi giggled. “I’m not sure how Riku feels about me, but I know he likes you. How do… you feel?”

            “I… uh… I… Riku does like you!” Sora blurted out, near panic. Kairi smiled.

            “That’s good to hear, but that’s not what I asked. How do _you_ feel?” she said, gently.

            “I… You and Riku… I… Yes,” he mumbled.

            “Hmmm?”

            “Kairi, stop torturing the memory of your boyfriend,” Naminé cut in, amused.

            “I… like you. Both of you,” Sora finally admitted, beet red.

            Kairi beamed. “I’m glad. Now, let’s go get Riku back, and figure this out, okay?”

            Sora shook himself. “But Kairi, you can’t! It’s–”

            “Too dangerous?” Kairi hummed. “Then wouldn’t I be safer with you?”

            “I… but… that’s…”

            She grinned. “Face it, you bum, you’re stuck with me. Now let’s go save our crush.”

            The memory ended there, and Kairi picked up the next memory card with a swagger in her step.

            “So… you thought if you told him how you felt, he wouldn’t have left you behind?” Naminé asked.

            “Not exactly,” Kairi admitted. “I thought that if I had knocked him off balance a bit, maybe I would have been able to convince him to take me with him. Then we wouldn’t have been separated when the Door to Darkness closed, and…” she sighed. “Well, a lot of stuff would have happened differently. But,” she added, smiling again, “if things had been different I don’t know if the two of us would have wound up as friends. Especially since I would have followed him to Castle Oblivion. I’d like to have seen you try to overwrite me from _that_.”

            “You’re not… still mad, are you?” Naminé asked, and Kairi stiffened in alarm.

            “Oh, no, of course not, Nam. I was trying to make a joke, I didn’t mean anything by it!”

            “Okay,” Naminé said, relieved.

            _Sora’s… posterior… wasn’t the one you wanted to kick, then?_ Aqua broke in.

            Kairi smiled the nasty smile again. “Nope, you’ll see. He’s coming up. Might be in the next memory, actually.”

            “Who is it?”

            “A certain Mr. Squall ‘Leon’ Leonhart.”

            _…His name is Leon Leonhart?_

 

 

            Kairi picked her way to the next memory room, completely relaxed. Unlike Aqua and Naminé, she had no problems going through her memories again. It helped that most of the ones she could think of that Castle Oblivion could choose from – that had someone she could fight at the end – ended happily; the exception being the Fall of Radiant Garden, which they had already been through.

            The second memory door deposited her in the green room she had been expecting, the house that Leon, Aerith, Cid, and Yuffie had been living in during their stay in Traverse Town. She was sitting by the table. Aerith, a brown-haired girl a couple years Kairi’s senior in a pink dress, and the only other person in the room, was stitching something in one of the other chairs. If she remembered correctly, at this point in time, she was complaining about boys being dumb.

            “He just _left_ , though!” She ventured. “I just want him to be safe.”

            Aerith hummed soothingly. “I know, Kairi, but there was nothing you could have done if you had gone with him.”

            “I could have fought!” Kairi declared, but Aerith smiled and shook her head.

            “True, you could have, but he would have been worried about you every step of the way. This way, at least, Sora has the peace of mind from knowing you’re safe.”

            “What about _my_ peace of mind? What, I’m just supposed to sit here twiddling my thumbs because I’m a _girl_? Fuck-” Aerith made a sound of warning, deep in her throat “- uh, forget that.”

            _I think I like her,_ Aqua joked.

            “I don’t think being a girl has anything to do with it,” Aerith said. “The fact of the matter is that you don’t know how to fight, Kairi.”

            “…Uh-huh. You realize that the justification everyone used back home for not letting me spar with them was ‘because you’re a girl’, right?”

            Aeirth paused in her stitching. “…Oh,” she said finally.

            “Yeah, ‘oh’,” Kairi grumbled.

            Aerith put down what she was working on. “Well, I can’t teach you how to fight, but I can teach you some other things,” she said.

            “Like what?”

            “How would you like to learn healing magic?”

            Kairi perked up immediately. “Absolutely!”

            Aerith smiled. “We just need someone to practice on. Give her about five minutes, and Yuffie should be here with–”

            The door swung open. “Aerith, I cut my finger again!” Yuffie announced. She was closer to Kairi’s real age, with black hair, a green top, tan pants, and several sharp metal stars in holsters along her belt.

            Aerith sighed, as if this happened every day, which apparently it did. “Yuffie, what did I say about gloves that completely cover your hand?”

            Yuffie grinned, showing off her orange fingerless gloves to Kairi. “Some stuff I didn’t listen to because I need to have strong grips with my fingertips.”

            “If you say so,” said Aerith, winking at Kairi, who laughed. “You’re just in time, I was going to teach Kairi how to use Cure.”

            “Ooh, fun!” Yuffie said, pulling out a chair with her uninjured hand and straddling it. “Then I give myself to your tender mercies!”

            The memory faded as the lesson began, and Kairi collected the last gold card with a smile. “Looks like I was wrong, no Leon this time.”

            “Did you actually change anything about that memory?” Naminé inquired.

            “Nope!” Kairi said. “I liked that one just the way it was. I still think of Aerith and Yuffie as my good friends. I plan on making Sora take me to Radiant Garden so I can see them again.” She grinned. “Yuffie will spar with me, I’m sure of it.”

            _Was there that much of a disparity on Destiny Islands that you weren’t allowed to playfight?_ Aqua asked.

            “Not _really_ , I mean sure, there was a bit of it, but mostly it came from me being the mayor’s daughter, and having washed up on the Islands, and Sora and Riku being really weird about seeing me getting hurt. Even if it was just minor scrapes and bruises. Really bothered both of them.” She chuckled. “I mean, in retrospect, them being overprotective makes sense, but it was still really annoying. Thankfully they’ve toned that down.”

            “I’m confused, though. What exactly did Leon do that’s making you want to fight him?” Naminé asked.

            “Well... it’s not something he did, so much as it’s something he stopped _me_ from doing, and I totally haven’t held a grudge,” Kairi replied, smirking.

            “Obviously,” Naminé agreed, drily.

 

 

            Kairi hummed to herself as she pushed open the final door. She was in the plaza in the Third District, down a ramp from the future Restoration Committee’s house, and she was knee deep in an argument with a tall, brunet man in a shortsleeved, collared shirt.

            “No, you can’t come with us,” Leon was saying.

            Kairi crossed her arms. “Why not? And don’t say because I don’t know how to fight. Sora already cleared the Heartless out of Hollow Bastion.”

            “Because,” Leon said, with the tones of someone at the end of his patience, “ _When_ Sora succeeds in closing the final Keyhole, all the missing worlds will come back. Which means, the gummi routes we’ve been using will close. We’ll be trapped on whichever world we’re on, and we intend for that to be Hollow Bastion. It’s our home. Yours is the Destiny Islands. You’ll never get back.”

            Kairi shook her head. “Leon, I wasn’t born on the Destiny Islands. I’m from Hollow Bastion, too. I was sent to Destiny Islands by a spell during the Fall. Regardless, my home is wherever Sora and Riku are, nowhere else.”

            Leon blinked, surprised at this new information. “Be that as it may, we still can’t guarantee your safety–”

            “Aerith’s going,” Kairi interrupted. “You can guarantee hers?”

            “That’s different–”

            “Uh-huh, sure. I’m going with you.”

            Leon looked like he’d rather be fighting for his life than having this conversation. Which was probably why he had the idea that came to him.

            “Tell you what,” he said, crossing his arms. “If you can beat me in a fight, you can come with us.”

            “Ohhhhh I get it now,” Naminé said, amused.

            _You couldn’t beat him the first time around, huh?_ Aqua asked.

            Kairi grinned. “Sure, Leon. But don’t you dare go easy on me.”

 

 

            The look on his face when she drew her Keyblade was hysterical, she wished she could have gotten a picture. That had made the fight more interesting, as last time, they had fought barehanded, Kairi not having a weapon and Leon not interested in seriously harming her. The memory of him did have his infamous gunblade, though.

            “You know… after meeting Lightning… Leon’s gunblade is kind of a disappointment,” Naminé said, thoughtfully, while Kairi backflipped to avoid a fireball.

            _What was the difference?_ Aqua asked.

            “Leon’s gunblade here is just a sword with a hilt shaped like a gun. The hammer hits the blade and makes it vibrate,” Naminé explained. “Lightning’s is a sword that actually transforms into a gun. It’s like you gave two different people the word ‘gunblade’ and had them come up with their own ideas of what it meant.”

            “Not to say Leon’s isn’t still dangerous!” Kairi grunted, barely leaning out of the way of an overhead swing.

            “Use your zeroes more!” Naminé advised, finding the whole scenario hilarious.

            “Easy for you to say, you’ve had practice!” Kairi retorted.

            _Sorry, Kairi, but this is probably the least emotional floor test fight we’ve had in the entire Castle,_ Aqua apologized.

            Kairi finally used a ‘0’ to cancel a sleight. “No, I get it. I’m still enjoying this, though. Can’t wait to show the real Leon what I can do now.”

            Eventually, Kairi found the rhythm she needed, and got the better of the memory of Leon. “Yes!” she crowed, as a grey-backed card fell into her hand. “Gotcha this time!”

            “It’s Castle Oblivion, it doesn’t count,” Naminé teased.

            “Quiet, you, it counts to me!”

            Kairi made her way up the ladder, humming a bit to herself. “Ah… what a thrill,” she grinned, as she pulled herself to the top and exited the floor.

            “Not bad for your first run through,” Naminé said. “Must be nice having happy memories.”

            Kairi blanched. “Oh, Naminé, I…” she stopped when she realized the other girl was laughing.

            “I’m just teasing, Kairi. I’m making happy memories right now, with the two of you. Right, Aqua?” Naminé called.

            Aqua was looking down at the card in her hand. “One left,” she murmured.

            “From each of us,” Naminé agreed. “I don’t know if the Castle is planning something for the thirteenth floor, though, because right now we can only get through the twelfth.”

            “We’re three floors away from Ventus! Isn’t that a good thing?” Kairi asked.

            Aqua gave her a wan smile. “Yes, it is. It’s just… I only just got out of the Realm of Darkness.” She held up her last card, the room full of mirrors. “It’s kind of unfortunate that I have to go back in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need you all to understand just how weird hearing Sora in Kingdom Hearts 1 was for me. After years of only playing Days, Re:coded, and 3D, _that voice_. He sounds so fucking _young_ ; I kept forgetting he was fourteen. Especially since Jesse McCartney as Roxas and Ventus was never that young voicing them.  
> As for the thing with the "- - " instead of "–", that's how the subtitles were formatted in the clip I found. I feel like maybe that was a transcription error, maybe in the first version of the game? Because I don't remember it from my playthrough (and I played the version in the HD 1.5+2.5 compilation, so plenty of time for that to have been revised), and I don't know what version the clip was taken from.  
> I'm also pretty sure that the Final Fantasy characters in Kingdom Hearts don't actually have their last names. But, because I'm writing this, they're getting them back. The implication should be that the main characters also have surnames, but I'm not actually going to give them any, just because I feel like that's awkward. Same reason why I'm going to bend over backwards to avoid naming the Destiny Trio's parents unless I absolutely have to. As for why I'm doing this, well, minor spoilers, eventually I'm going to need a way to distinguish between Terra and Terra Branford. (And no, I'm not going to call her Tina. Same reason why I didn't call Lightning "Eclair".) We lucked out with Riku and Rikku.  
> And while we're on the subject of Final Fantasy, if anyone wants an update, I'm through V and knee-deep in VI. Which means I still! Haven't! Played! VII! (Or VIII, or X, or any of the other ones that Nomura designed characters for/have characters that appear in Kingdom Hearts.) So if and when my characterization is off, that's why!


	12. Eleventh Floor

            _This… isn’t really what I was expecting from the Realm of Darkness,_ Kairi admitted. _I was expecting more…_

            “Darkness, imprisoning me?” Aqua asked. “All that I see being absolute horror?”

            _Kind of, yeah._

            Aqua laughed. “Well, most of the time I spent in there was wandering on aimless paths and fighting off Heartless. It was only on this part that the landscape was at all interesting. Which, was apparently two years ago.” The floor looked like a medieval city; Kairi could swear she could see the silhouette of a castle in the distance.

            _…At the same time that Ansem, Seeker of Darkness was stealing the hearts of worlds?_ Naminé asked.

            “That’s right,” Aqua said. “And when they vanished from the Realm of Light, they wound up here. This is the Castle of Dreams, Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother’s world.”

            _Oh!_ Kairi gasped. _That makes sense._

            _Did you try to hitch a ride on the worlds when Sora beat Ansem to get back to the Realm of Light?_ Naminé asked.

            “Yes, I did, but apparently it doesn’t work like that.” Aqua smiled at the card in her sleeve. “I did get to have a nice relaxing break on the beach of your play island, though, Kairi.”

            _The Destiny Islands were here, too?_

            Aqua nodded. “Right inside the door. I held off a mob of Heartless while Riku and Mickey closed it.”

            _Right, I remember Mickey and Yen Sid telling us about that just before he and Riku left to find you._

It was very helpful, talking through her memories before having to view them again. Aqua wished she had known that earlier in their trip. But, as she had come to realize, wishing things had gone differently was only holding her back from moving on.

            The first memory door swung open gently, and Aqua walked through, not sure what she was supposed to be remembering around the Castle of Dreams. To her surprise, however, she wasn’t by the Castle of Dreams at all.

            A rocky path stretched out before her, with giant, creeping vines in the distance. “That’s wrong,” Aqua said, worried. “This memory wasn’t around the area that the Castle of Dreams was in. This is from Enchanted Dominion again. Well, Enchanted Dominion, in the Dark World.”

            _It’s out of chronological order?_ Naminé wondered. _Fascinating. I don’t think it’ll hurt anything._

            Aqua nodded, continuing to walk along the path. “Let me see… at this point, I think I was chasing a vision of Terra and Ven.”

            _A vision?_ Kairi asked, concerned.

            “Yes. I thought it was the Realm of Darkness playing tricks on me, but then I felt their light. It was really them; their hearts, reaching out to me.” She smiled. “That’s how I knew that Terra was still alive… and that Ven was still asleep.”

            As she spoke two figures with their backs to her appeared on the horizon. One was tall, with brown hair, and the other short, with blond.

            “Terra, Ven.” Aqua called as she approached. Terra turned to look at her. Ven, still asleep, didn’t.

            “Aqua, you’re–” Terra gasped, just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

            “Terra. You spoke?” Aqua asked.

            A strange, hopeful look came into Terra’s eyes. “Can you see me?” he asked.

            “Of course! I see Ven too,” Aqua said, smiling gently.

            “Ven? He’s here?” Terra asked, looking around for him; in fact, right through him, not seeing him.

            “Terra, what’s wrong? Don’t you see him?” Aqua asked. “My heart connected to both of theirs, but not theirs to each other, is why this happened, I think,” she added for Naminé and Kairi.

            “Where are we?” Terra asked.

            “A world the Darkness has consumed. It’s Enchanted Dominion,” Aqua explained.

            “Consumed? The worlds fell?”

            “What’s gotten into you? How do I know that you’re Terra? And not the weakness that’s in my heart playing more tricks?” Aqua asked.

            _The weakness in your heart?_ Kairi asked, but Aqua brushed the question off.

            “Ven! Please say something,” she urged, but the boy made no indication that he could hear her.

            “Aqua, listen,” Terra said. “I promise this is me. But I’m not myself.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “You’re using the name ‘Terra’. That means you’re seeing me the way that you remember me. But your heart is just painting the picture that it so wants to see. The real me is lost in shadow.” Terra turned away from her.

            _…He’s right,_ Naminé said, slowly. _This was ten years after everything that happened. Time was weird for you, so you didn’t age. Ventus has been in a magical stasis, so he didn’t age. But Terra…_

            _Terra should be ten years older. And… his hair should be longer. And silver,_ Kairi finished.

            Aqua nodded. “Then you’re here, trapped in the Realm of Darkness.”

            “No,” said Terra, walking a ways away from her. “My heart has ties to the dark. That must be why we can talk.”

            _No. It’s the ties you both have to each other. And that’s_ light _,_ Kairi declared.

            “But I can’t see anything, Aqua,” Terra continued, oblivious. “If you say Ven is there, then he’s like me – an illusion created by your heart.”

            Aqua looked at Ven, then back to Terra. “I understand. Then, you and Ven are safe in the outside world?”

            “I think,” Terra said, doubtful.

            “That’s good. But how did you find me?”

            “I looked here,” Terra explained, placing a hand over his heart. “And heard you in the darkness.”

            “Right, but why does your heart have… ties to the darkness now? What did you mean ‘lost in shadow’?”

            “Forget about me,” Terra said, sharply. “Aqua, Xehanort is trying to locate Ven.”

            “He’ll never find him. I hid Ven well,” Aqua said, confident.

            _Right under all of our noses,_ Naminé commented drily.

            “I think the reason he’s not talking to me here, is because he’s still there sleeping.” As she spoke, she turned away from Terra to fondly regard Ven, this time noticing the odd grunting sounds Terra was making behind her.

            _Um, Aqua?!_ Naminé said. _Not to be alarmist, but..!_

            “I know,” she whispered. “But I have to let the memory play out.”

            “No, I can’t control –” Terra gasped, as the colour faded out of his hair, turning it a bright silver. Darkness began leaking out of his being, and his voice deepened.

            “This ‘place’,” Xehanort asked. “Is it the Chamber of Waking?”

            “Yes–” Aqua asked, then turned back and started.

            _And there went three weeks of Lea’s life,_ Kairi chuckled.

            “Who are you? Really.” Aqua challenged, knowing it was Xehanort.

            “You don’t know?” Xehanort said, clearly amused. “My name–” He was cut off by Terra phasing into existence in a swirl of light, clasping his arms around Xehanort’s neck.

            “Aqua! Get back!” he yelled, grappling with himself.

            “Terra!” Aqua cried, concerned even though this was a memory.

            “I messed up. Xehanort is part of me,” Terra explained, still fighting to hold back his doppelgänger. “Now he’s using me so you’ll tell him where you hid Ven!”

            “Silence!” Xehanort ordered, and a cloud of dust rose around the two men,

            “I won’t give in!” Terra growled. “Aqua! You have to–” He grunted as Xehanort broke his grip enough to grab him by the face. He pulled Terra off of his back, lifting him one-handed.

            “Still you struggle!” Xehanort hissed.

            “Terra!” Aqua yelled, but a swirling vortex opened behind her, and the hands of a Darkside grabbed both her and Ven.

            “Aqua!” Terra screamed from behind Xehanort’s hand, but the Heartless lifted her up and away.

            “Now you can be one with the darkness!” Xehanort said; evidently the Darkside was his doing. Aqua struggled, but couldn’t break its grip. “Ven!”

            Suddenly, Terra stopped struggling. His eye flashed open, and he yelled, “That is _enough!_ ” Golden chains of light erupted from his body, surrounding himself and Xehanort. The last bit of Aqua’s memory before her consciousness faded was the sight of Terra binding himself and Xehnanort together with the chains.

            She fell backwards out of the memory door, gold card fluttering down after her to rest on her chest.

            _Well… That was some shit,_ Kairi declared.

            _The disturbing thing is that if that’s how Xemnas found out about the Chamber of Waking, there was some connection between him and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness,_ Naminé said. _At that point, they hadn’t recompleted yet. Terra and Xehanort’s hearts were with Ansem, and his body was with Xemnas… So how would Xemnas know about the Chamber of Waking if_ that’s _how Xehanort found out about it?_

            “I don’t think Xemnas learned about it from that conversation. Xehanort was a Keyblade Master; in fact, he would have taken over as Master of the Land of Departure when he first achieved Mastery, if he hadn’t turned the appointment down,” Aqua said, rising to her feet. “It’s possible he always knew the Chamber existed, just not that Ven was in it.”

            _This is confusing,_ Kairi muttered.

            “I know,” Aqua said, sympathetically. “But it could be worse.”

            Naminé snorted. _She’s right. We haven’t even begun to take the time travel into account._

            “The… _what_?!”

 

 

            The floor’s design had changed. It now featured creeping black vines covering the walls and ceiling, over a floor patterned after a rocky path. Aqua identified it as resembling the lost-to-darkness Enchanted Dominion. However, with no other notable memories taking place in that area, save a fight with a powerful Darkside, it was unlikely that the second memory door would contain more memories from there.

            As it turned out, she was right.

            Before her stretched a beach until it ended in a sheer cliff. _Why does this look familiar?_ Naminé asked, wary.

            Aqua smiled. “Because it should be familiar. Welcome home, Kairi. This is your play island.”

            _Wow… what happened to it?_ Kairi asked, shocked. Aside from the aforementioned sheer cliff where the waterline was supposed to be, large purple crystals dotted the landscape.

            _Ansem happened,_ Naminé replied.

            _Figures,_ Kairi muttered.

            Aqua took some steps towards the edge. “This is… where I met those children,” she said, figuring she had to jumpstart the memory.

            “So many worlds have been lost. And now they’re trapped here in the dark,” said a somber voice from next to her.

            _Holy shit King Mickey?_ Kairi said.

            Aqua smiled. “Yes. He told you he found me while trying to find his Keyblade, right?”

            “Wait – you know this place, Aqua?” Mickey continued, surprised.

            “Yes,” Aqua said, nodding. “I visited once, and I met two boys I considered passing the Keyblade on to. But because Terra had already given one of them the power, I didn’t.”

            Mickey drew in a breath. “Aqua. What were the boys’ names?”

            Aqua smiled again. “They were… Sora and Riku.”

            Mickey put a finger to his chin, pondering. “I see. We’re getting warm.”

            “Huh?”

            “Welp, it’s Sora and Riku who’ve been helpin’ me. We’re tryin’ to get that door shut for good,” Mickey explained.

            “The same boys?” Aqua asked, amused this time.

            MY _boys,_ Kairi said, proudly.

            “Aqua, if this is where my friends first got the Keyblade, it also must be where we’ll find its counterpart. The Keyblade of darkness has gotta be on here on the dark side of their world,” Mickey declared.

            _I mean, I_ suppose _that makes sense,_ Naminé said.

            There was a rumble that shook the beach. “This is probably going to be another skipped fight, just so you know,” Aqua advised Kairi and Naminé.

            “We’ll have to hurry,” said Mickey. “C’mon!”

            They ran up the path towards the Secret Place, the little opening in the mountain that formed the island’s centre that led to the cave covered in Sora, Kairi, and Riku’s childhood drawings. They stopped just before the entrance.

            An explosion of Heartless burst out of the cave, swirling together and acting as one conjoined organism.

            _Okay now_ that’s _terrifying,_ Kairi said, in mild shock.

            Aqua made to dodge out of the way of the creatures’ strike, but before she could move there was a white flash, and like she had predicted, the fight was over. “Let’s keep goin’,” Mickey said, pointing at the Secret Place. Aqua nodded her agreement.

            Inside the cave, Mickey and Aqua walked over to the knobless, hingeless door in the back. “I bet it’s in here,” Mickey said.

            Kairi snorted. _Yeah, but good luck getting it open, we tried for years and– Oh come the FUCK on!_ she shouted as Mickey and Aqua simply pushed on the door and it swung open. Aqua snickered. “Language.”

            Within the door was a huge cavern, in the centre of which floated a glowing gold Keyblade. “There!” Mickey called.

            The two Masters approached the key. “Is that what you’re after?” Aqua asked, stopping a respectful distance away.

            Mickey continued forwards. “Yep, it’s just the key I was looking for,” he said. “A Keyblade from the dark realm!”

            “A Keyblade of darkness,” Aqua murmured. She still couldn’t quite wrap her head around the idea; she was raised believing that Keyblades were the weapons of light to fight the darkness. A Keyblade of darkness still sounded like an oxymoron to her, despite her having seen it with her own eyes.

            Mickey took the Kingdom Key D in his hands, and recited, “‘The door of darkness… tied by two keys. The door of darkness… to seal the light.’ Welp, we’ve got the keys. Now, we find the ones to close the door.” He held his new Keyblade up, checking the balance.

            “Sorry?”

            Mickey turned to her. “The door between the two realms – it won’t let a heart with light pass through. So only darkness keeps spilling out,” he explained. “We can lock the door by using the two Keyblades, but we need help on both sides to get the door shut.”

            “Well, then, since you’ll be doing the locking, let me be the one to close the door,” Aqua offered.

            “Sorry, but the job’s taken… by somebody else,” Mickey said.

            _By Riku?_ Naminé asked.

            “By Riku,” Aqua confirmed.

            There was a rumble, and a flash of light, and the memory ended. This time, Aqua was allowed to walk out of the memory, gold card in hand.

            _I’m sorry, but I’m confused,_ Naminé said. _If you were here when this happened, why didn’t Sora see you? You’re not in his memories of closing the door, but Mickey and Riku are._

            “The Heartless Swarm from earlier came back,” Aqua explained. “I held them off while Riku, Sora, and Mickey closed the door; but because of that I got separated from Mickey again.”

            _Do you think fighting that Heartless Swarm is going to be the floor test?_ Kairi asked.

            Aqua looked at the gold card, which didn’t look any different from any of the previous third room gold cards, and then at the walls of the floor. The walls had changed again; now they were rough stone, as if hewed by axes and picks. Something bright glittered in them, and overhead, brilliant lights shone from high above. “No,” she said finally. “I think I know what the test is. And I’m not going to fail it like I did the real one.”

            _Huh?_

            Aqua smiled, reminiscing but seeing the encounter in a new light. “I’ll explain on the way.”

 

 

            She stepped into the final memory room, coming face to face with exactly what she’d been expecting: A large, ornate, ancient mirror, in which she could see her own reflection.

            _So it just… steps out?_ Kairi asked. _That’s creepy._

            “Very. But I understand what it is now,” Aqua replied.

            As if on cue, the mirror rippled, and Aqua’s reflection stepped out of the frame.

            “Hello, Aqua,” it said. “Have you missed me?”

            “Why would I have missed you?” Aqua asked. “You’ve always been right here with me.”

            _Um… is this what you said at the time, or..?_

            “No, Kairi, this is real,” said Aqua.

            The wrong Aqua.

            The real Aqua backed up a step. “You… can hear them?”

            The Phantom smiled. “Of course I can hear them, Aqua. Did you forget who I am?”

            “You’re me.”

            “Correct. I am thou, and thou art I. Weak, pathetic, and doomed to be alone.”

            To Naminé and Kairi’s confusion, Aqua smirked. “Is your self-esteem really so low you’ll willingly call yourself weak and pathetic?”

            The Phantom seemed caught off guard. “We both know the truth. Why deny it?”

            “We both know it, hmm?” Aqua started walking around the Phantom, who circled opposite from her in turn. “I suppose that makes sense, if you’re part of me. But shouldn’t we both also know, then, that the little voice saying that is _lying_?”

            The Phantom’s eyes narrowed. “You’re different. Something’s different. What is this place?”

            “Welcome to Castle Oblivion. I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to manifest or not. It wouldn’t be much of a confrontation if you were just recycling old material.”

            “What are you talking about?” The Phantom demanded, becoming angry. “As long as you’re in the Realm of Darkness, you’ll never escape me–”

            “I’m _not_ in the Realm of Darkness anymore,” Aqua interrupted, calmly. “And why would I want to escape you? You’re part of me. This proves it; you’ll come with me anywhere I go.”

            The Phantom was looking around in shock. “You… got out? Impossible…”

            “ _We_ got out,” Aqua said, patiently. “You’re me, too, remember? I thought, back then, that you were a hallucination, the Realm of Darkness playing tricks on me. But you’re not a hallucination. Not that kind, anyway. You’re a _projection_.”

            _A projection?_ Kairi asked.

            Aqua nodded. “She’s my doubt. My fear. My _guilt_.” As she spoke, the Phantom’s face contorted in anger, and, now that Aqua knew to look for it, fear as well. “The Realm of Darkness merely gave form to what I was already carrying with me. And after the things Castle Oblivion has shown itself capable of, I guessed that it might be able to give my doubts form again, too.” She smiled. “It seems big on people receiving closure, right, Naminé?”

            _To a fault._

            “It doesn’t matter!” the Phantom snarled. “You’ll never be able to defeat me, I’ll always come back!”

            “Of course you will. No one is fearless, or doubtless, and I made too many mistakes to be completely guiltless. But, that’s okay. I’m not trapped by my past anymore. _We_ ’ _re_ not trapped anymore.” Aqua smiled. “We’re out of the Realm of Darkness. We have new friends who want to help save our old ones. And we’re _this close_ to saving Ven. You’re a part of me, and that’s not a bad thing. I can’t change that, but I don’t need to, either. Nobody’s perfect; that’s just normal.” Aqua could feel a surge of pride coming from Naminé. She summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at her Phantom. “So, it comes down to this. I’ve accepted that I’m never going to be completely rid of you, but right now, you’re blocking my way to Ven. And I can’t allow that. Which means, it’s time to put my old doubts to rest!”

           

 

            There was a slight problem.

            _I don’t mean to interrupt, but… she has the exact same deck as you,_ Naminé said.

            Aqua, who had been clashing with the Phantom pointlessly for the past few minutes, huffed. “Really? Hadn’t noticed.” If there was a single flaw in Naminé’s deck design, it was that all ‘9’s and ‘0’s couldn’t really beat itself. Aqua had made some slight headway by using the Naminé/Kairi summon cards, but those fell only rarely, and she couldn’t rely on them as a viable strategy.

            Aqua had noticed something else, though. Every other opponent she’d had in Castle Oblivion had used sleights against her, constantly. But her Phantom hadn’t. Not a single sleight.

            The way to beat this might be to try something new.

            “Okay, Naminé, this might annoy you a little bit, but I have an idea.”

            _Annoy me? How?_

            Aqua gathered three cards into a sleight.

            _Oh. That’s not really annoying so much as I’m just going to warn you to mind how many cards you have. You lose one for the rest of the battle whenever you do this._

            “I understand!” Aqua activated the sleight, and found herself cloaked in the same aura her Spellweaver Command Style gave off. She spun, catching her Phantom in the whirlwind and doing much more damage.

            “What?” the Phantom gasped. “How did you–?”

            “So this is what it feels like being on the other side of it,” Aqua muttered. She continued to lay on sleight after sleight, keeping her Phantom off balance. The odd Naminé/Kairi card continued to fall, and Aqua scooped them up to use as the expended card in the sleight.

            She was very glad that spinning like she was doing wasn’t making her sick. It was, however, rapidly running down the Phantom’s health. In fact, finally using the sleights as they had been intended all along was actually…fun.

            A bright flash and the feeling of everything slowing down indicated Aqua’s victory. “Ha! Queen of the rink, bitch!” Aqua crowed, riding the high, then slapped her hand over her mouth as she realized what she had just said.

            _Aqua!_ Kairi gasped, pretending to be scandalized but unable to hide her joy, _Language!_

            Unlike the memories, the Phantom didn’t vanish upon defeat. Instead, it reeled back until it collapsed, a grey-backed card flying out of the deck on the back of its hand.

            Aqua caught the card in midair, then rushed over to catch her doppelgänger. She cradled it in her arms, locking eyes. “It’s okay, to be afraid,” she said. “We’re not alone anymore.

            “Come back to me?”

            The Phantom, looking both wounded and in awe, reached out a hand to cradle Aqua’s face, then burst into a swarm of glowing blue butterflies. When they had all vanished, Aqua stood up, dusting herself off.

            _Wait, what was that all about?_ Kairi asked.

            _I have no idea. Probably the Castle being pretentious and dramatic. Symbolism doesn’t count if it doesn’t have a meaning behind it, you stupid piece of architecture!_ Naminé scoffed.

_Oh. So is that where you get it from?_ Kairi asked, amused.

            _Where I get what from?_

            Aqua chuckled and headed for the floor’s exit.

 

 

            “Two floors left!” Kairi said, excited.

            “And one card left,” Naminé noted, eyeing the world card in her hand. “I’m really suspicious of that. The Castle isn’t to be trusted.”

            Aqua hadn’t received any more world cards upon exiting the floor. To be fair, there really weren’t any more memories to be had; aside from what had felt like hours but was apparently years of walking and fighting in the Realm of Darkness, her memories had caught up to present day.

            Still, there wasn’t anything in their memories that they couldn’t handle together.

            Kairi gave a side-eyed look at Aqua. “Do you want to take a little break? Fighting yourself couldn’t have been easy.”

            Aqua looked startled. “Oh? Sure, I suppose. It wasn’t as traumatic as the first time, now that I understood what she was.” Regardless, she sank down against the wall, stretching.

            Kairi sat down and whispered to Naminé, “The room. Need to talk.” She closed her eyes and entered the meditative state.

            Within their shared mental room, Naminé looked at her in puzzlement. “What’s up?”

            “The next world. Whether it’s your memory or mine, I have to wonder. Is it going to show a point where either of us saw Xemnas?” Kairi asked, intense.

            Naminé stiffened. “That… is an excellent point. We should tell her.”

            Kairi nodded. “We should.” They both surfaced out of the meditation, and looked up to see Aqua watching them.

            “Penny for your thoughts?” she asked. “I could tell you two were talking.”

            Kairi took a deep breath. “Aqua, we know what the next world is. And… we need to talk to you a bit about the people you might see, in The World That Never Was.”

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _You'll never see it comi-_  
>  Wait.  
> No.  
> Allow me to flex my nerd ego for a second.  
>  _Overwrite this pain tearing me apart!_  
>  I spilled some Persona on my Kingdom Hearts, is what you should take from that. If yellow/gold eyes didn't have a specific meaning in Kingdom Hearts, I would have said that Phantom Aqua's eyes were yellow. That is also why she became butterflies; in-universe, Naminé is correct and it means absolutely nothing, but blue butterflies are a recurring motif in the Persona series.  
> There's been a bit of discussion in the comments on this fic about the scene between Naminé and the Lingering Will from the Kingdom Hearts concert. The reason Naminé doesn't bring it up here is because I didn't know it existed until said discussions. Weeks and weeks after this chapter was done. So for the purposes of this AU, it might as well have not have happened.  
> Regarding Naminé, however, I realized something about her while writing this chapter. I'll give you the pieces, and then the conclusion.  
> She's artistic.  
> She's needlessly dramatic.  
> She's cryptic in situations where a straight answer would really work better.  
> She's got something of a mischievous sense of humour.  
> A great deal of the aura she projects is 90% presentation.  
> In conclusion?  
> Naminé is a theatre kid.  
> I can say that with some authority since I used to be one/hang out with ones. This is not meant as a criticism. (And that's what Kairi meant by "is that where you get it from", if that's not clear.)


	13. Twelfth Floor

            “I understand.” Aqua frowned. “How likely is it, do you think, that we’ll be seeing Xemnas?”

            “It’s hard to say. It depends on what the Castle’s going to choose as the floor test,” Naminé said. “Neither of us fought anyone there, so it’s probably going to be like me in my memories of Castle Oblivion: substituting a fight that Sora fought.”

            “But there’re a couple of people that could be. Can’t be Xemnas himself, I wasn’t there when Sora and Riku fought him,” Kairi said. “It could be Saïx, or the card guy with the piercings… What was his name again?”

            “Luxord, I think?” Naminé guessed.

            “Right. He didn’t leave much of an impression.”

            Aqua smiled. “Well, we won’t find out by sitting here. Do you feel ready?”

            Kairi stood up, grinning. “Ready and willing.” She walked over to the next door, and held up her final card. The door unlocked, and she walked through it, into dark grey halls, in some places missing pieces of the panelling.

            “This really is a dreary environment,” she said, after retrieving an Aqua card. “I can’t believe Xion and Roxas ever felt at home here.”

            “Home’s the people you surround yourself with,” Naminé said. “They had Axel, and each other, and that was enough for them.”

            _I agree,_ said Aqua. _The castle in the Land of Departure was huge, but it felt small and cozy because Master Eraqus, Terra, and Ven were there._ Kairi and Naminé could feel the hint of a smile coming from her. _The Mysterious Tower could probably feel the same way, if I can manage to open up to all of you._

            “You’re doing a good job so far,” Naminé assured her, smiling.

            Kairi reached the first memory door and held up the gold card. “My guess… Probably the dungeon,” she said, conversationally.

            “Yes, that’s likely,” Naminé agreed, and then froze. “Wait… do you think…?”

            Kairi grinned. “It’s possible. Only one way to know.” She stepped through the door.

 

 

            As she had guessed, she was in an actually rather spacious purple room. There was only one opening; it, too, was sizable, but it was a window, not a door, and it was barred. No need for doors when you can Dark Corridor in and your prisoner can’t.

            She was crouched against the wall in the back, between the purple lights that provided the only illumination. She heard a strange padding and clicking sound, and looked up in confusion.

            “Oh, Pluto!” she said, smiling. “I forgot you were here!”

            _Pluto?_ Aqua asked, as Kairi reached out to rub the dog’s head.

            “He’s King Mickey’s dog, he helped me escape the Organization a couple of times. He can make Dark Corridors.”

            _He can?_ Aqua sounded incredulous. _A dog can make Dark Corridors? That sounds… incredibly dangerous._

            “Hey! Pluto’s a good boy!” Kairi said, mock indignantly. “Aren’t you? Yes you are!” she cooed, still petting him. Pluto, for his part, looked extraordinarily pleased with himself. He perked an ear up towards the barred window, and Kairi pulled herself to her feet.

            She walked over to the window in time to see a man in the Organization’s coat with feathered blue hair and a scar across his face walk by the cell. He stopped before her, and turned to face her. Aqua sucked in a breath at the sight of his gold eyes and pointed ears.

            “What are you going to do with us?” Kairi demanded.

            “You’re the fire that feeds Sora’s anger,” said the man. With that non-explanation, he turned and walked away.

            As soon as he was out of earshot, Kairi said, “That’s Saïx. He’s a dick. Used to be Lea’s friend Isa, but then… I know you noticed the eyes and ears.”

            _He’s one of Xehanort’s vessels?_

            Kairi nodded. “Lea would like to rescue him, if possible.”

            _I hope it will be,_ Aqua said. _What now? That seemed rather short for a memory._

            Kairi grinned. “Oh, the memory’s not over yet. I still have to be rescued by my valiant savior.” As she spoke, a Dark Corridor swirled into being in the back of the room.

            Out of it stepped a girl about a year younger than Kairi was now, in a too-short white dress, with long blonde hair that hung over her shoulder, and blue eyes identical to Sora’s.

            “Hey,” said Naminé, grinning from ear to ear. “What’s a cute girl like you doing in a dungeon like this?”

            “Oh, just waiting for some dashing heroine to come and take me away from all this,” Kairi replied, smiling just as wide.

            _Naminé?_ Aqua gasped. _Did… did you two know this would happen?_

            “We guessed it would happen,” Kairi confirmed. “We weren’t sure.” Naminé moved over to put a hand on the Aqua card, since she couldn’t hear her otherwise. “How does it feel to have your own body again?”

            “Like I’m fifteen and/or one again,” Naminé said. “I’ll take a real one over this, thanks.” She kept smiling, though.

            “Hey, guess what I can do,” Kairi said.

            “What?”

            Kairi stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around Naminé, squeezing her tightly. The other girl gasped and hugged her back, just as tightly.

            “Many more where this is coming from,” Kairi whispered in her ear, and Naminé laughed in delight.

            “Looking forwards to it,” she said, and gently flexed her arms so that Kairi would pull away. “Shall we get going?”

            Kairi grabbed Naminé’s hand, and together they stepped into the Dark Corridor –

           

 

            And out of the memory door. “You were right, Aqua, that was short,” Kairi commented, noticing there was a new gold card in her hand. “You here, Nam?”

            “Right here.” As they had guessed, Naminé was back in Kairi’s body, the memory of her own not passing out of the room.

            _May I ask something that might be too personal?_ Aqua asked. _Of you, Naminé._

            Naminé blinked, confused. “Sure? What do you want to know?”

            _The… dress you were wearing. It was… It didn’t look like it fit you._

            She refused to get angry. “Yes. That tends to happen, when one grows over the course of a year and one only has one set of clothes to one’s name.”

            “Wait… that dress was the only item of clothing you ever owned?” Kairi interrupted.

            “That and the sandals.”

            Aqua took a deep breath. _The conversation I have with Ansem the Wise is going to be very long, and very unpleasant._

            “I think I’m going to have a word with Riku, too,” Kairi muttered. “Stop proving to me that you have good reasons to feel guilty, you butt.” She shook her head. “First thing we do when you have a body again is take you shopping.”

            “Oh, you don’t have to do that, I can just take your old–”

            “Naminé. When you get your body back. I’m taking you shopping. You deserve your own clothes. Besides, I know you don’t really like pink,” Kairi teased.

            “…You’re right. It’s not really my colour,” Naminé agreed. “Thanks, Kairi.”

            “Destiny Islands doesn’t really have much in the way of solid white clothes, aside from uniforms and stuff like that,” said Kairi, “but I’m sure we can figure someth–”

            She was cut off from the sound of laughter coming from her own throat. “Oh, Kairi, um, that’s very nice of you,” Naminé said, still giggling, “But, um, I think I’ve had enough of the colour white to last me a lifetime. Or two.” She waved her hands around to indicate Castle Oblivion.

            _You don’t have solid white clothes?_ Aqua asked, confused. _Why not?_

            “Well, the way it was explained to me was that at some point, the people of the Destiny Islands got _really good_ at dyeing fabric, and since natural dyes were so plentiful, there was pretty much no reason not to dye everything. We do still have white clothes, but they aren’t the norm, and generally they’d have a coloured collar or something. Just to show that it _could’ve_ been dyed, but the tailor chose not to. The only exception I can think of are our school uniforms, which have to have white shirts because of… tradition or something, I don’t know,” Kairi explained.

            The sartorial discussion carried them all the way to the next memory door; Aqua was quite interested in the Destiny Islands; not surprising, considering her interest in Wayfinders. Kairi and Naminé were equally interested in Aqua’s own clothing choices, neither knowing what a corset was (or, as Kairi kept calling it, “that thing with the buckles”).

            Kairi stood before the second memory door, rubbing the gold card between her fingers.

            “I can’t think of any other memory this could be,” she whispered, and opened the door.

 

 

            “Kairi, you were great!”

            Kairi smiled. Bingo. “Oh?” she said, turning around.

            Behind her stood Donald, Goofy, and Sora. A quick glance confirmed that Riku, in the form of Ansem, was lingering awkwardly in the corner. She walked up to Sora, who came over to meet her.

            “You are different, Kairi,” he said, “but I’m just glad you’re here!”

            “You and Riku never came home, so I came looking for you,” she said.

            _I thought you said Lea – er, Axel – kidnapped you?_

            “Shhh, they’re having a moment,” Naminé whispered.

            Sora looked down, and started to apologize, but Kairi rushed forwards and wrapped herself around him. “This is real,” she murmured.

            “Well, in context it was,” Naminé teased.

            _Shhh, they’re having a moment._

            Sora returned the hug, cautiously at first, then holding her tightly when it became apparent she wasn’t going to pull away.

            In the background, Riku opened a Dark Corridor, clearly feeling like he was intruding. “Riku, stop being moody, get over here and hug us,” Kairi ordered, not even looking at him.

            Riku froze, looking back at her in shock. Sora also started, pulling away enough to look between the two of them.

            “Kairi, what did you just say?” Sora asked. “I thought that he was…”

            “I’m no one, just a castaway in the darkness,” Riku muttered, in Ansem’s deep baritone.

            Kairi broke the hug and walked over to Riku, seizing his hand to prevent him from leaving. “Fine, I suppose you guys _need_ to do this the hard way,” she muttered, and added, louder, “Sora, come here. Say something to him.”

            Confused, Sora closed the distance. Kairi grabbed his hand, too, and brought them both into contact with each other. “Here,” she said. “You’ll understand. Close your eyes.”

            _I can feel his light,_ Aqua murmured. _There’s… darkness, too, but… a warm light._

            “That’s Riku,” Naminé agreed.

            Kairi stepped back and let Sora fall to his knees, tears in his eyes as he explained to Riku how hard he’d looked for him.

            _Out of curiosity, how long after you all got back home did it take for you three to confess how you felt to each other?_ Aqua asked, drily.

            “The hard part was getting Riku to admit he liked both of us. We actually had to pin him down so he wouldn’t leave,” Kairi whispered, amused.

            _Literally or figuratively?_

            “Yes.”

            As they spoke, Donald and Goofy put together that Riku, in the guise of Ansem, had been helping them from the shadows for their entire journey. Riku admitted that he had hid from them, ashamed of his appearance, which he had taken on to access the powers of darkness.

            _It still doesn’t sit well with me, using the darkness,_ Aqua said.

            “Riku has a handle on it. It’s his personal darkness, not the big capital-D Darkness out in the worlds. He recognizes the darkness in himself, and acknowledges it as his own. Or at least, that’s how he explained it to me,” Kairi said. “On the plus side, he’s safe from possession; Xehanort’s darkness can’t overpower his own, anymore.”

            _I suppose that is a good thing._ Aqua sighed. _I still have things to work through._

            “Recognizing it is the first step,” Naminé said, comfortingly.

            “… I didn’t want to be found. Not like this… I couldn’t,” Riku was saying.

            “Riku, no matter what you look like, we still love you,” Kairi interrupted.

            Riku froze. “You… w-w-what?” he said.

            Sora looked just as suddenly terrified. Kairi smiled ruefully and took both of their hands. “We still love you. Right, Sora?” she added.

            “Y-yeah,” Sora said, after a second’s hesitation. “You guys are my best frie–!”

            “That’s not the kind of love I meant,” Kairi interrupted, teasing. Sora was rapidly turning red.

            _…Is he old enough yet for it to not be weird if I think he’s adorable?_ Aqua murmured.

            “No, give it another year or two,” Naminé teased. “Then you can try to steal him from Kairi. I’ll plan the funeral service myself.”

            Kairi ignored them. “Riku… I love you. Sora… I love you, too. The both of you. At the same time. I want to be with both of you. I refuse to choose one of you over the other. If I had to pick just one of you two, something would be missing. Both of you. I love _both_ of you.”

            _I get the feeling this is the culmination of hour-long discussions,_ Aqua said, amused.

            “It took them a week to get it through each others’ heads that none of them wanted to pair off. Sora was the only one who believed it immediately,” Naminé said, conspiratorially.

            “I thought you were asleep for that.” Kairi accused through gritted teeth as the memories of Sora and Riku stumbled through their own confessions.

            “ _Trying_ to sleep. As we’re both aware, I wasn’t quite successful.”

            “There’s a ‘living for the drama’ joke in there somewhere.”

            Naminé nodded. “‘My sister’s love life is my favourite sitcom.’”

            _What’s a sitcom?_

            “So how ‘bout it? Think we can handle one last rumble together?” Sora was saying. “The King’s waiting!” Apparently the discussions had ceased while they were occupied.

            Kairi smiled. “Yeah. Let’s get going.”

 

 

            “So is every memory you’re going to change going to be about getting the three of you together sooner?” Naminé teased as Kairi made her way to the final room.

            “Hey, there are very few things I’d change about the memories we’ve seen. I liked most of them just the way they were,” Kairi shot back.

            _Then why are you trying to get into your relationship sooner?_ Aqua asked, puzzled.

            Kairi grinned her most innocent grin, which many children her age on the Destiny Islands had learned to distrust immediately. “It’s fun watching them get all flustered.”

            “Wow. I get to take control over the shitty events in my life, Aqua gets to see that everything that happened to her wasn’t solely her own fault, and you get to tease younger versions of your boyfriends. One of these things isn’t like the others.” Naminé snarked.

            “After everything the two of you have been through? You need some fun. Even vicariously.” Kairi fished the final gold card out of her pocket and held it up to the door.

            _She’s not wrong_ , Aqua commented.

            “If you say so.”

            Kairi entered the door.

 

 

            At the end of a long hallway bordered by a guardrail, there was an enclosed balcony of sorts, looking out on the Organization’s fake Kingdom Hearts. Staring out at it, with his back to Kairi and her party, was a familiar blue-haired man.

            “Only you could have made it this far in one piece… Roxas,” Saïx intoned, turning to face them.

            “That’s really getting old!” Sora yelled at him from across the room.

            Donald and Goofy stepped in front of him, guarding him with their bodies. “Yeah! He’s Sora!” Donald declared.

            Saïx raised the massive broadsword in his hand, and sneered. “Different name, same fate.” He twirled the claymore effortlessly, and sent out a blast that pushed Sora, Donald, and Goofy back.

            Or it was supposed to. This time, Kairi leapt in front of the trio, Keyblade in hand, guarding them. She wound up alone inside Saïx’s barrier, Sora and Riku both hammering on it in horror.

            “Guys, I’m fine,” she assured them. “The two of you fight for me all the time. Just this once, let me fight for you!” She whirled around to face Saïx.

            “Isa!” she called to him, and Saïx blinked.

            “That is not my name,” he said.

            “Yes it is. Your name is Isa, and Lea is coming to get you. Fight him!” Kairi commanded.

            “Enough pointless talk!” Saïx snarled, and charged.

           

 

            “Okay this is much harder than Leon!” Kairi gasped as she bent over backwards to avoid a swipe pf Saïx’s claymore. She could feel the wind as the massive axe-like blade whooshed past her face.

            The worst part was that she was doing everything right. She was using her ‘0’s judiciously, cancelling only what she couldn’t dodge, but the problem was Saïx hit incredibly hard. Worse, his hits stunned her, leaving her reeling long enough for him to make a sleight, which she could only barely cancel in time. But she could do this. It was difficult, but it wasn’t impossible.

            Then Saïx started floating in the air, his hair glowing with a purple aura, and all of a sudden, it was impossible.

            Kairi danced out of the way of the massive shockwaves his weapon was sending out, trying to figure out a way to beat him. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something that her brain dismissed as “moon”, but then she realized that The World That Never Was didn’t _have_ a moon. What it had was the artificial Kingdom Hearts. Which is what she could see out the window.

            Wasn’t Saïx’s nickname the “Luna” Diviner?

            “Nam, Aqua!” she called. “I think I know what I have to do! Keep an eye out for green cards! Like with Maleficent!”

            _On your left!_ Aqua called, and Kairi flipped over to grab it out of the air. Sure enough, it had the stylized green mouse ears. She threw it into the air, hoping and praying it would change something.

            A thick curtain descended across the window, and Saïx abruptly lost the berserker aura. He stumbled in confusion, long enough for Kairi to get a full combo in.

            “That’s more like it!” she grinned, ready for round two.

 

 

            “So we didn’t see Xemnas after all,” Aqua noted. Kairi had won, of course, and they were on the twelfth floor’s landing, getting ready to head to the final floor.

            “Guess not. We still thought it was a good idea to warn you, just in case. Given, you know, how much seeing Terra like that messed you up,” Kairi explained.

            Aqua smiled. It was small, but it was a smile. “I appreciate it.”

            “I’m at a loss,” Naminé announced.

            “Hmm?”

            “I don’t have any world cards. Kairi doesn’t have any world cards. Aqua?”

            Aqua checked her pockets. Still empty. “No, nothing.”

            “Then I don’t see how we’re supposed to get through the thirteenth floor,” Naminé said.

            Kairi frowned. “ _Through_ it? I thought Ventus would be _on_ it?”

            “Yes, but we need to get into it. Even if the floor isn’t activated, we still need a Castle Oblivion floor card to get in. And without the Organization here messing with things, I would bet the floor is active,” Naminé explained.

            “One floor left,” Aqua murmured. She smiled to herself.

            “Ven, I’m coming. Hold on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right I'll admit I kind of wrote myself into a corner with the "No white clothes on the Destiny Islands" thing. Mostly because I only realized later that Kairi and Selphie are shown in school uniforms, with white shirts, in KHII, weeks after I wrote this.  
> The point of all that is that I see no reason why Naminé would ever want to wear the colour white ever again. It does look good on her, true, but with everything she's experienced regarding the colour white? Yeah. No.  
> This chapter had a lot of stuff that I had to fix after planning, actually. My original idea was for this to come directly after the Keyblade Graveyard chapter, and have the floor fight be Xigbar. This didn't pan out for multiple reasons, mostly because I'm pretty sure that Kairi and Riku didn't catch up with Sora until directly _after_ Sora dispatches him. So that was out, because it would have to have been the second room of the floor to still have the "It's Riku but now he's tall dark and hAnsem" scene be in there. And that doesn't work.  
>  Plus, there was no reason for Kairi and Naminé to hold back the fact that Braig as Xigbar was still around in the Graveyard chapter. And the point of having Xigbar here would have been Aqua going "shit, that asshole's still around?" Which again, no reason not to have that in the Graveyard chapter.  
> Then I decided on Traverse Town for Kairi's other room, and there was no reason not to do it in chronological order, so it got moved from that placement anyway.  
> And as for why Saïx instead of anyone else, it's because he at least interacted with Kairi previously. (I'll admit I thought that scene was longer...) I felt like it was a bit jarring back in the third chapter (second floor) where memory one is "Naminé is abused by Larxene" and memory two is "Naminé is abused by Larxene" and then the fight is "Naminé beats up... Marluxia, who hasn't shown up in her memories before". So, I tried to avoid that this time. Plus, this lets Aqua know what he looks like, so she has some reference for things she has in common with Lea.  
> So what are they going to do for the next floor? Well, I've already given a hint somewhere. Let's see if anyone can figure it out before next week. ;)  
> (Note: it's probably only going to make sense in retrospect. Don't puzzle too hard over it.)


	14. Thirteenth Floor

            Cautiously, Naminé, Kairi, and Aqua had entered the landing of the thirteenth floor. They were now scouring the ground and ceiling for the elusive thirteenth world card. Thus far, they had turned up nothing.

            “Kairi, Aqua, I have a confession to make,” Naminé said. “This is scaring me. It’s scaring me quite a lot, actually. There’s supposed to be a thirteenth floor.”

            “It’s going to be okay, Naminé. There’s nothing Castle Oblivion can throw at us that we can’t handle. You can’t open the chamber where Ventus is from here, can you, Aqua?” Kairi asked. “Maybe this is the only part of the floor.”

            Aqua shook her head. “No, I know what the outside of the chamber looks like, and this isn’t it.”

            “That’s so _weird_ ,” Kairi said, sitting down in front of the door to the thirteenth floor. She leaned back against it, staring at the ceiling in confusion.

            As she did, the door creaked open.

            “Whoa, what the _fuck_?!” Kairi leapt to her feet, backpedalling away from the door.

            “How… how is it already open?” Aqua gasped. “Is the Castle going easy on us?”

            “No…” Naminé shook her head, slowly. “If the door is unlocked, that can only mean one thing. There’s someone else here.”

            “Someone… who else could be here?” Aqua asked.

            “I have no idea… and I’m even more scared now,” Naminé said.

            Kairi took a deep breath. “We have to go in. There’s a chance that whoever it is, is friendly, right?”

            Naminé rolled her eyes. “Don’t roll my eyes at me, young lady,” Kairi said.

            “Fine. Yes, it’s possible. No, it’s not likely. Why would someone be here, unless they were trying to get to Ventus?” Naminé asked. “And the only people who know that Ventus is here, are our group, and…”

            “Xehanort,” Aqua finished. She set her jaw, grimacing at the door. “Kairi’s right. We have to go in.”

            “I don’t like this.”

            “I know you don’t,” Kairi said. She squeezed Naminé’s hand. “But you won’t be alone. We’re both right here.”

            “Actually… that’s a good question,” Aqua said. “If we go in there, will we turn into cards? Will just one of us turn into a card? Because if someone else is in there…”

            “I don’t think it works like that,” Naminé said. “Vexen was able to enter one of Sora’s memory floors and not turn into a card; they even fought, until Axel killed him.”

            Kairi nodded. “So we won’t be cards?”

            “One of us might be a card. Whether it’s us or Aqua, I don’t know. I guess it would depend on the memory.”

            Aqua put her fist to her mouth and bit down on a finger, deep in though. “We’ll have to risk it,” she decided eventually. “It’s the only way to get to Ven.”

            “All right,” Naminé said. “I just… can’t shake this feeling of foreboding.”

            “Hey, maybe it’ll keep us alive,” Kairi joked, but Naminé wasn’t really in the mood for gallows humour. She and Aqua stood in front of the door, and as one, stepped through.

 

 

 

            _Well, that answers that,_ Aqua said, drily. _Looks like it wants one of you two in here._ She had been rendered a card as they passed through the door, but unlike the floors below, they seemed to have stepped directly into a memory already in progress. The owner of the memory was nowhere to be seen, so the trio found themselves walking along a sandy dirt road skirted with grass.

            “Um, guys? I think it wants Naminé specifically,” Kairi said, looking down at herself.

            “Why do you say…? Oh…” Naminé said, jaw dropping open. When they had entered the room, Kairi’s hair had been bleached to a warm blonde, and her clothes had turned pure white.

            _I think I’m a bit nervous now, too,_ Aqua said.

            Naminé took a deep breath. Kairi and Aqua were right here. She could handle this. “Is this anywhere either of you have seen before?” she asked.

            “No, I haven’t been to many places, either,” Kairi said.

            _Believe it or not, neither have I,_ said Aqua. _Master Eraqus wasn’t much one for field trips._

            There was a light breeze lilting through the room, and it carried scents that neither Naminé nor Kairi were familiar with.

            Eventually, it also carried voices.

            Naminé could make out two men and a woman. The woman sounded irritated, the men relaxed. There was something oddly familiar about one of them.

            “…You know what, if one of these people is our mystery guest, I’d prefer to keep hidden and check them out from a distance,” Naminé said.

            “Sounds good,” Kairi said.

            _Does “checking people out” not mean seeing if someone’s attractive anymore?_ Aqua asked, puzzled.

            Naminé’s face reddened. “It was a poor choice of words,” she muttered, swallowing Kairi’s laughter.

            She crept up to a hill overlooking the three people: a blonde woman with her back to her, a tall, thin man with red hair, and an imposing-looking, tanned bald man in sunglasses.

            “Well, that’s not Lea,” she murmured to Kairi and Aqua. The redhead had a long, thin ponytail, which would be physically impossible with the sheer volume of Lea’s hair.

            _And that’s not Xehanort,_ Aqua added. The bald man was much younger than the fallen master, and though his eyes were hidden, his ears weren’t pointed. _…Is it petty to point out that he probably wouldn’t take someone that was already bald as a vessel?_

            Kairi snorted. “No, given his previous choices, it’s just fact.”

            “Shhh,” Naminé hushed. “I want to hear what they’re saying.” The blonde woman had evidently just said finished saying something, in impatient tones.     

            “I’ll take mine black, with extra despair,” the bald man intoned. “So you’re sure they’ll be here?” he added, looking at the redhead.

            “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry,” the other man responded. “And I’ll take soy, thanks. So look, bro to bro, I gotta ask:”

            Whatever he was about to ask, it was lost to time, as the blonde woman let out a roar of frustration.

            “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES I’VE HEARD THIS FUCKING CONVERSATION? IT’S THE ONE WITH THE MASSIVE TITS, HE LIKES THE ONE WITH THE MASSIVE TITS. NO SHIT! I HAVE BEEN IN THIS VOID-FORSAKEN CASTLE FOR KINGDOM HEARTS KNOWS HOW LONG, LISTENING TO YOU TWO NUMBSKULLS CHAT ABOUT BULLSHIT I NO LONGER CARE ABOUT, ABOUT PEOPLE I NEVER CARED ABOUT, ABOUT JOBS I FINISHED SO LONG AGO IT’S NOT EVEN FUCKING FUNNY! DO YOU KNOW HOW ANNOYING YOU HAVE TO BE TO FRUSTRATE SOMEONE WITHOUT A FUCKING HEART? VERY! VERY FUCKING ANNOYING! EVEN SAYING ‘WELL, HE’S DOWNRIGHT _RUDE_ ’ ISN’T FUCKING FUNNY ANYMORE, I’VE HEARD THE DAMN JOKE AND MADE THE DAMN JOKE TOO MANY TIMES! ALL I WANT IS TO GET OUT OF THIS FUCKING SHITHOLE OF A CASTLE BUT NOOOOOO! IT’S RELIVING THE OLD JOB FOR ME! YOU KNOW WHAT? FUCK SHINRA, FUCK THE TURKS, FUCK AVALANCHE, FUCK SEPH-WHATEVER, AND GO GET YOUR OWN _GODDAMMED FUCKING COFFEE!”_

            As she spoke, lighting lanced out of her shoulders, sparking into the ground. She clenched her fingers, and knives appeared in her hands, which she tried to ram into the throats of the men; however, they vanished as soon as she made contact.

            “Oh… no…” Naminé said, freezing like a deer in headlights as the woman turned around, clearly intending to walk away, and spotted her on the hill. Naminé recognized her instantly.

            And to her horror, the woman recognized her, too.

            “Well, well, well,” said Larxene. “Looks like the _witch_ has come home.”

 

 

            _She’s supposed to be dead!_

            “She is!”

            _We watched Sora kill her!_

            “We did!”

            _How?!_

“How?!” Naminé demanded, only slightly listening to Aqua and Kairi. “How are you alive? I watched Sora kill you!”

            Larxene scoffed. “How the fuck am I supposed to know? That bastard Marluxia probably did _something_. Used me as a test case.”

            “Oh, does that mean Marluxia is still running around, too? That sucks,” Kairi whispered.

            “Why are you doing that?” Larxene demanded.

            “Doing what?” Naminé deflected, voice starting to shake.

            “Talking in a completely different tone to no one, like you’re a completely different person. It’s… _annoying_.” Larxene took a step towards her, and Naminé involuntarily flinched.

            _Kairi, she’s not a memory, she can hear you!_ Aqua cautioned.

            “And what’s with that buzzing?” Larxene demanded. “It didn’t start until you got here, _witch_. Are you trying to cast a spell on me?” Her voice went dangerously sweet.

            “I…” Naminé was almost paralyzed with fear. She couldn’t… _explain_ , not to Larxene. She wouldn’t believe her; or worse, she _would_ believe her, and she’d hurt Kairi to hurt her. And it seemed she could tell when Aqua was talking; how, Naminé had no idea.

            “Is it something to do with this?” Larxene said, still speaking sweetly, holding up a green card. Naminé couldn’t hold in the gasp when she saw the image of Aqua. “I _thought_ so. Did the little _witch_ make a friend? I bet she doesn’t know what horrible things you’ve done.”

            _We’ve been through Castle Oblivion. I know everything she’s done, and I know everything you did, too, Larxene,_ Aqua said. Her tone was firm, and unintimidated. _There’s only one monster in this room, and it’s not Naminé_.

            Larxene sneered. “And who are you to judge the little _freak_?”

            _I am Keyblade Master Aqua. But more importantly, I’m Naminé’s friend._

            Larxene let out a screech of laughter. “Keyblade Master, huh? How pitiful you look! Trapped as a card! I bet that was Naminé’s doing, too, wasn’t it? Well, no matter.” An evil glint entered her eye. “I always wanted to try this, but Marluxia never let me. What happens if… I…” She grasped the Aqua card between her forefingers and thumbs, and started to tear it apart.

            At the sound of Aqua’s scream of pain, Kairi rushed forwards, slapping the card out of Larxene’s hands. “Don’t fucking touch her!” she hissed.

            Larxene raised an eyebrow. “There it is again,” she mused. “That just doesn’t sound like you, Naminé. Who _is_ that?” Her eyes popped open wide. “No… that’s impossible. Is that Sora’s friend Kairi? What did you do to her? Was replacing her in his memories not enough for you? You had to steal her heart, too? Well, I suppose it _was_ the only way you were going to get one of your own. Tsk, tsk, tsk. All this time later and you’re still doing _awful_ things behind that pretty face.” She reached forwards and grabbed Naminé and Kairi by the hair, studying them.

            “I’m actually glad you showed up. You look, hmmm, two years older? So I’ve been trapped alone in this fucking castle for about two years, then? Sounds about right.” A wide, cheerless smile spread across her face. “But now… I’m alone with _you_. Which means I finally get to have some _fun_.” Slowly, Larxene raised her other hand, grasping one of her knives.

            “No.”

            “Hmmm? What was that, little _witch_? I couldn’t quite hear you.”

            “I… said… _NO!_ ” Naminé grabbed the knife, held loosely in Larxene’s hand, and drove it into the arm that was holding her captive. Larxene screamed in pain and Naminé jumped away from her, facing her across the clearing.

            “Naminé, let me switch, you don’t have to–” Kairi started, but Naminé shook their head.

            “No, Kairi. I want to do this myself. This is _my_ fight,” Naminé said, glaring at Larxene, who was holding her arm, matching her hateful gaze for hateful gaze. Memory’s Embrace flashed into her hand, and Larxene’s mouth dropped open.

            “Moving up in the world, are we? Surprised they let a _freak_ like you in.”

            “It’s not that surprising, really. All it takes is a little bit of heart,” Kairi shot back.

            Larxene threw her head back and laughed. “‘A bit of heart’? Really? Newsflash, Princess: We don’t have–!” Naminé lunged forwards and swiped up at her, leaving a thin red line on Larxene’s cheek. In shock, Larxene reached up and touched it, rage building as she looked at the blood staining her glove. “All, right, witch. If you want to fight, we’ll _fight_.”

 

 

            Naminé dodged behind a tree, trying to think of some way to get the upper hand. If they had been fighting anywhere else, Larxene would have naturally had the edge, given her years of combat experience to Naminé’s… subjectively, a couple months, but in reality, slightly less than a week.

            But this was Castle Oblivion. All was decided by the cards.

            That meant, if she was careful, she had a chance.

            A knife whipped past the tree, embedding itself in the ground next to her. “I can _see_ you, you know!” Larxene taunted. “I thought we were fighting? Is running away all you can do, freak?”

            “Like you’re one to lecture people on fighting fair!” Naminé responded. “Have you ever fought someone who wasn’t weaker than you? Ever, in your life?”

            Larxene scoffed. “Where’s the fun in _that_?” A large blast of lightning hit Naminé’s tree, and she rolled away from it as it burst into flames.

            _She isn’t wrong._

            “ _What?_ ” Naminé asked.

            _No, not about the exclusively fighting weaker opponents,_ Aqua clarified. _About running away._ _You can’t beat her by staying back and playing things safe. The card system won’t let you. And she can hit from further away than you can. You have to close the distance._

            Naminé laughed in disbelief, shaking her head. “Aqua, I can’t fight like that. Not against someone real.”

            _I know that. You know that. But the thing is, Larxene knows that, too. She expects you to stay back like you’ve been doing. You caught her completely off guard with that first hit, because she never expected you to get that close. I admit, it’s a dangerous gamble, but if it pays off…_

            “If it pays off,” Naminé muttered. But she had no better plan.

            In the wake of another lightning bolt, Naminé rushed forwards, swiping at Larxene. Luck was with her; Larxene was in the middle of reloading her deck, the lightning bolt sleights having eaten away at her cards. She was unable to block Naminé’s assault, eventually having to back away to gain some distance.

            “Uppity little witch!” she cursed at her. “Then let’s try this!” She held aloft a green card.

            “Aqua?!” Naminé asked, alarmed.

            _It’s not one of me!_

            The card in question had three green circles, arranged in the shape of mouse ears.

            “Oh, this is gonna suck,” Kairi muttered.

            Clouds gathered, and a rainstorm engulfed the area. Naminé understood the logic instantly; if she was sopping wet, Larxene’s lightning was all the more dangerous.

            Stay close, and also don’t get hit. It was a bit paradoxical, but she had to do it somehow. There was a nasty smile on Larxene’s face as she loaded up a sleight; to Naminé’s horror, it looked like her deck also had a significant number of ‘9’s. It made sense; she’d been in the Castle for two entire years.

            Fortunately, despite those two years in Castle Oblivion, she didn’t seem to have stumbled upon Naminé’s ‘0’ strategy. The sheer rage on her face when Naminé managed to cancel each of the five sleights she could muster during the rainstorm was priceless. Naminé had used every ‘0’ she had to do it, but that wasn’t something Larxene needed to know.

            A green card danced down out of the sky, and Naminé broke off her assault long enough to snatch it out from under Larxene’s grasp. It was another mouse ears emblem. Hoping for something useful, Naminé threw it back skywards.

            Nothing happened.

            Larxene laughed, long and hard. “Well, so much for _that_!” she taunted. “Even the Castle itself hates you!” She gathered up another sleight. Naminé hadn’t had the time to reload her deck yet; she was out of ‘0’s. She braced herself to take the hit as Larxene launched the sleight.

            To everyone’s confusion, the second the lightning bathed the area, Larxene screamed in pain, and shook, muscles spasming.

            It clicked.

            The green card had cancelled out Larxene’s resistance to her own electricity.

            Naminé felt a little bad for taking advantage of the situation. But not enough not to do so.

 

 

            The sky was clear, the road ahead and behind was peaceful, and Larxene lay in the middle of the clearing, her body leaking black smoke.

            “No. No, not again!” she screamed to the heavens, but there was no answer. Naminé stood over her, Keyblade pointed at her throat.

            “It’s over, Larxene,” she said.

            Larxene spat at her. “I guess I got the consonant wrong. You’re not a witch. You’re just a bitch.”

            “Careful,” Naminé said, coldly. “I’d rather not have anything more in common with you than a hair colour.”

            Larxene threw her head back and laughed. “Feels good, doesn’t it? Your enemy broken and dying in front of you?”

            She felt empty. Numb. Sick to her stomach. “No.”

            “Right, no feelings. Our lot as Nobodies.”

            “Xemnas lied.”

            Larxene looked back at her. “Excuse you?”

            “Xemnas lied. A body without a heart will, over time, grow a new one. You don’t just act like a hateful bitch, you are one. You’ve had plenty of time to grow a heart of your own. Although,” she added, scornful, “it generally takes interaction with others, and a comforting, nurturing environment. So, maybe not.”

            She could see the calculations running behind Larxene’s eyes, even as the woman’s body started to fade, feet first. “Figures. That bastard. Tell me someone killed him.”

            “Sora, and Riku.”

            “Hah! Outlived him!” She coughed. “Three times, I’ve died,” she muttered to herself. “Third time lucky?”

            “Not in the way you might think.”

            “Fuck’s sake, stop being fucking cryptic, you fucking freak,” Larxene hissed.

            Naminé allowed herself a small smile of superiority. “You see, when a person’s Nobody is killed, and their Heartless is destroyed, the Somebody comes back to life.”

            “…you mean…?”

            “Yes, Xemnas’s Somebody is running around now. We’ll deal with him eventually. But that’s not what you wanted to know, was it?” She leaned down to whisper in Larxene’s ear. Her knives were far away, her deck empty, and everything below her thighs had vanished; it wasn’t dangerous. “Provided someone destroyed your Heartless, your Somebody will be coming back, too.”

            Larxene looked… terrified. Naminé smiled, as sweetly as Larxene had always smiled at her. “And I hope, that Relena, or Arlene, or Nerela, or whatever your name was… I hope she remembers _everything_ about being you. And I hope those memories torment her for the rest of her life.” She straightened up. “And if they do, and if I ever run into her… _maybe_ I’ll consider letting her beg me for forgiveness.”

            There was hatred in Larxene’s eyes. If it wasn’t real, it was the best acting Naminé had ever seen. “Fuck you,” Larxene whispered, as the last of her body faded.

            Naminé shook her head. “No, Larxene. Fuck _you_.”

            A grey-backed card was all that remained in the clearing. Naminé picked it up, and as she did so, a door opened in the middle of the road. Behind it, she could see the hallway of Castle Oblivion’s thirteenth floor.

 

 

            Halfway down the hallway, the Aqua card in her shoe vanished and the Keyblade Master was walking beside her again. “Naminé, how are you feeling?” she asked.

            Naminé turned to look at her, finally letting the hold she had over her bearing slip just a tiny bit, so that Aqua could see how frazzled and loose at the seams she felt. “Aqua, I don’t want to impose on you again, but would you mind if–”

            She never finished the sentence. Before she could even articulate what she wanted, Aqua seized her in a tight hug, cuddling the younger girl’s head to her chest. And that was all it took for Naminé to let go of the last of her control, to let the tears flow out as the enormity of what she had just done took hold. Kairi gently took control of their legs for a minute, working with Aqua to lower all three of them to the ground, where Aqua rocked Naminé gently back and forth, telling her that it was over, that she was safe.

            After a while, Naminé came back to herself. “I’m sorry,” she said, in a thin voice, a drained voice. “I got your shirt wet.”

            Aqua smiled, hugged her tighter. “Clothes can be washed, Naminé. It’s not a problem.”

            They rose to their feet, Naminé still a little unsteady. “I recognize this place,” Kairi said. “This is… where Sora fought Marluxia.”

            Naminé nodded. “There’s another room behind that door, but it’s a dead end,” she said, indicating a door at the opposite end of the room. “Down the hall are the memory pods I put Sora, Donald, and Goofy in. I’m sorry, Aqua, but I don’t know where Ventus is.”

            Aqua blinked. “You mean… you don’t see that?” she asked, pointing at the wall opposite the hallway Naminé had pointed out.

            Naminé and Kairi shook their head. “See what?”

            Aqua crossed over to the wall she had pointed out, and summoned Master’s Defender. Gently, she placed the tip of the Keyblade against the wall, and a flare of light shot out of it. The light spread over the wall, and when it had vanished, another door was revealed in the wall.

            Naminé was shocked. “You mean… that whole time… we were so close…?”

            Aqua shrugged. “I couldn’t see it in your memories. I guess you have to be here – and be the Master of the Castle.”

            Naminé laughed. It wasn’t so much that what Aqua had said was funny, but her emotions were running rampant after encountering, and killing, Larxene, and tears weren’t the only form of release to be had. After a while, Aqua started smiling, too.

            “No wonder Lea couldn’t find it,” Kairi said. “It was invisible.”

            “Not just that!” Naminé gasped for air, still giggling. “Their _headquarters_ was on this floor! He must have walked by this wall hundreds of times! And he never saw it! _He’s going to be so pissed!_ ”

            Now all three of them were laughing their heads off, leaning against the wall to steady themselves. Eventually, it died down, and Naminé straightened back up.

            “All right,” she said. “Let’s go get Ventus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tag reads "All characters tagged after the prologue appear in Castle Oblivion". Not "All characters tagged are memories". Merely that they "appear in Castle Oblivion".  
> Larxene, of course, has been tagged since chapter 3.   
> I'm sure you have a bunch of questions, mostly centering around "what", "how", and "why". So we'll start with "why" first.  
> When plotting out LoO, I knew I wanted to evenly split the floors among Aqua and the girls. But it's kind of hard to split an odd number evenly. I knew I had to do something else for the thirteenth floor, but what?   
> Then I had an idea. I believe I had the Second Floor chapter completely written at that point, and like I noted in the notes for the last chapter, I was a little dissatisfied with the conclusion of "Naminé fights Marluxia". When plotting, I hadn't realized how little shared screentime the two of them actually had. Larxene was much more Naminé's direct abuser, so it's jarring that Marluxia kind of comes out of nowhere. But what if Larxene wasn't actually dead?  
> That gave me a thirteenth floor, and actual closure to Naminé's experiences in CoM.   
> And that brings us to "how". Like she says, Marluxia did "something". Something McGuffin-y. (I didn't have it in mind at the time, but I'm far enough in FFVI that I can claim he cast Reraise on her.) He didn't manage to do it to himself, however, so "Marluxia" will not be showing up again. But there are things I want to do with Lauriam. Such wonderful things...  
> And because I'm sure it'll be a concern, I want to clarify that the Castle has not been holding Larxene prisoner for Naminé to kill. She resurrected on the top floor. The Castle was preventing her from Dark Corridor-ing out, but it would have let her go without a fuss if she had passed through the floors normally. She was simply too stubborn and impatient to figure out what it was expecting her to do, which is why she's been stuck on the same floor, in the same memory, for two years. If the Castle had the capability, it would be just as irritated with her as she is with it.  
> And, of course, that brings us to "what". The hell is that memory, exactly? Well, while reading other Kingdom Hearts fanfiction, I came across an old, now-debunked theory that Larxene's Somebody is Elena from Final Fantasy VII. The acronym doesn't _quite_ work, but they do look somewhat similar. So, I pinched it to use here, since Larxene's never showing up again. Now, if you've been reading these notes and the comments, you might remember that I've never played FFVII. And I purposefully didn't research the real Elena, to prevent spoilers. However, I _have_ seen TeamFourStar's FF7 Machinabridged. Which is the only reason why I even know who Elena is. So, I'm effectively saying that this Larxene isn't just Elena's Nobody. She's _Machinabridged_ Elena's Nobody. That's one hell of a personality shift. But, that is the source of the memory. I was going to have it be more obtuse reference, with her rant ending with "Get your own goddamn fucking coffee" and having that be the only indication, but the scene needed context, and I couldn't justify her not naming Shinra, the Turks, and AVALANCHE. Which is why she doesn't quite remember Sephiroth's name.   
>  Yes, you read that right. Larxene is never showing up again. She's for-real dead. She will not be a Nort. Not just because I wrote this fic before the E3 trailer, but because I think it's incredibly fucking lazy to just reuse all the old Organization members. I wanted new people. So, when I finally get to that confrontation, there will be new people. Aside from Xemnas, Xigbar, and Saïx, none of the Norts will be old Organization members.   
> I am sorry if anyone thought they'd be retrieving Ven in this chapter. That's what the epilogue is for! And rebodying, of course, is not going to happen in this fic. It will be after the next one, the next one being Lea, Riku, and the party of Sora paying a visit to Even. We're getting close!   
> One last thing. You may or may not have noticed that I switched my icon to "Angry KHUx Naminé". Yes, it's specifically for this chapter. The boy and girl icons I've been using previously are the avatars I generally play as, but I think I'm going to stick with Naminé for now. I have a tendency to change between them on a whim, and it's much easier to do that in the game than it is here.   
> See you next time, for the conclusion!


	15. Epilogue - Fourteenth Floor

            The door did not lead to the Chamber of Waking. It instead led to a flight of stairs.

            “I thought… Castle Oblivion had thirteen floors?” Kairi said, confused.

            “It does.” Naminé said. “Or… I thought it did.”

            Aqua, who had started climbing the staircase, looked back at them. “Wait… Did you consider the floor when we first entered the first floor?”

            If it was physically possible, Naminé and Kairi would have exchanged glances. “Yes?” they both said, confused.

            Aqua shook her head. “That’s the _ground_ floor. The first floor is the one we first saw your memories on, Naminé.”

            “That’s… but…” Kairi stammered. “That’s not how numbers work!”

            “That’s how we always counted the floors in the Land of Departure,” Aqua said, continuing up the stairs. “This will be the thirteenth floor.”

            “It’s the fourteenth!” Kairi insisted, racing after her.

            “My castle, my rules,” Aqua called back, smirking.

           

 

            The staircase ended before a door much more ornate than the others in the Castle.

            “No cards,” Kairi puzzled. “So how do we…?”

            Aqua gave her a side-eyed look and hefted Master’s Defender.

            “Oh… right… Keyblade…”

            “I think we’ve been in this castle too long,” Naminé teased.

            Aqua unlocked the door. Inside was a circular room with large reliefs of the same symbol Aqua wore on her chest running around the inner wall. Chains extended from the bottom of each relief, running down to the centre of the room, where sat a large white throne.

            The throne dwarfed the figure of the boy sitting within it, untouched by the ravages of the years.

            “Ven!” Aqua cried, and ran to hug him. Ventus didn’t react, still asleep, but they had been expecting that.

            “He really does look exactly like Roxas,” Naminé said.

            “Or, Roxas looks exactly like him,” Kairi corrected.

            Aqua picked Ventus up, bridal style, and walked over to Naminé and Kairi. The joy in her heart was practically radiating off of her. “Thank you both, so much. I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without you.”

            Naminé smiled. “You don’t need to thank us, Aqua. That’s what friends are for.”

            “Absolutely. Just glad that we could help,” Kairi added. “Next stop, Destiny Islands, right?”

            Aqua was looking back at the throne, a curious look in her eye. “…yes, right,” she said, her mind clearly having been somewhere else.

            “Aqua? Everything all right?” Kairi asked.

            Aqua sighed. “Nothing is wrong. I… could turn the Castle’s fortress mode off, now that it’s no longer needed to protect Ven. It would return this world to being the Land of Departure. But…” she paused, and looked down at Ven’s sleeping face. “…I think I’d rather wait until we’re all together. Ven, Terra, and I. Regaining our home… It’s something we should do together.”

            “That makes sense,” Kairi said, smiling. “Plus, I think Xehanort might notice if Castle Oblivion suddenly turned into the Land of Departure again. It’s safer this way.”

            “Aqua?” Naminé asked. “I know that’s probably going to be very… personal, for you and Ventus and Terra. But… would you mind if I wanted to be present when you change the Castle? I’d… kind of like to watch it go back to what it’s supposed to be.” She looked incredibly nervous about her request.

            Aqua smiled. “Of course I wouldn’t mind, Naminé. I can’t speak for Terra and Ven just yet, but I would be glad to have you along when that day comes.” She breathed in a deep breath, and hefted Ven. “Next stop, Destiny Islands.”

            Kairi broke into a wide grin and summoned her Keyblade, creating a Light Corridor to her adopted home world. Naminé led the way through, triumphant.

 

 

            “Are you excited?” Kairi asked.

            “Huh?” Naminé said. They were still inside the Light Corridor, but Aqua was trailing behind, far enough not to hear. They didn’t begrudge her that; she’d had a long… however long they were in the Castle.

            “Assuming Lea and the boys didn’t drag their feet, you’re probably less than an hour away from getting your body back. Aren’t you excited?”

            Naminé’s eyes widened. To be perfectly honest, in the emotional turmoil the trip had carried her, Kairi, and Aqua through, she had completely forgotten that afterwards, she’d be getting a new body. She had the sudden feeling of walking along a cliff, and placing one foot in just the wrong spot so that it leaned out over the drop. Perfectly safe, not going to fall, but suddenly aware that falling wasn’t only possible, it was likely, unless she was very careful.

            A whole new world stretched itself out before her, and she suddenly felt very small.

            “Huh. The word you’re looking for is ‘sublime’,” Kairi said, when she tried to relay how she was feeling. “Suddenly awed by the enormity of the world and hyper-aware of how small you are in comparison, and how little consideration it can give you.” She smiled. “So more nervous than excited, then?”

            “I suppose,” Naminé said. “I… how are things going to change? It’s weird to say, but I’ve been… comfortable, always being around you.”

            Kairi laughed. “Well, it’s not like I’m going anywhere. With the exception of… certain private moments, we can still stick by each other. Trust me, I’m looking forwards to ‘big sistering’ the _crap_ out of you. And if Dad doesn’t like that? Tough!”

            Naminé looked down at her hands. “How likely is that?” she asked, quietly.

            Kairi’s smile faded. “Naminé, for all I joke about it, I highly doubt that Dad would turn you away. He’s a bit awkward, but he’s a loving person. He’ll love you. I’m certain of it.”

            “Are you sure? Would he really want, or accept… me?”

            Kairi reached out and took her hand. “Would he welcome into his home a scared, traumatized girl with no home of her own, with nowhere else to go? Well, he already did it, once. I can’t imagine him turning you away, no matter where you came from. And in the extremely unlikely event that he does, Sora’s mom will take you in. We know that.” She squeezed, gently. “You’re going to be okay.”

            Naminé squeezed back, tears edging the corner of her eye. “Kairi? I feel so lucky, to have you as my friend. And as a sister.”

            Kairi laughed in delight. “I’m lucky to have you, too. We all are. And you’re gonna get all the hugs. _All of them_.”

 

 

            The Light Corridor opened onto the round platform on the play island, where Sora and Riku had sparred, long ago. Naminé and Kairi stepped out first, immediately spotting a shock of brown hair and a wide, bright grin.

            “Welcome back!” Sora said, scooping Kairi up into a hug. She giggled, and hugged him back.

            “How did your mission go?” she asked, warm in his arms.

            “Just great!” Sora said. “Met some new friends, even! Lea, Riku, and Mom are helping Even set up. He made us take him along, just in case something went wrong.”

            “They didn’t trust you touching sensitive equipment, huh?” Kairi teased, and Sora stuck out his tongue at her.

            “Jerk.”

            “Yes, but I’m _your_ jerk.”

            “Mmm.”

            A thought suddenly crossed Kairi’s mind. “Oh, _nuts_ ,” she said, mindful of who she was hugging. “Sora, I need to talk to Roxas, right now.”

            “Why?”

            “He needs to go and tell Lea to remember where he is.”

            “Huh?” Sora looked incredibly confused.

            Naminé spoke up. “Sora, we found out that Roxas and Ventus are identical. So any minute now, Aqua’s going to come through that Corridor, carrying a person who looks _exactly_ like Roxas.”

            Sora’s eyes widened. “Oh, _crap,_ ” he muttered. “Rox–”

            “I’ll go tell him right now,” Roxas interrupted, breaking the hug. “Thanks for the heads up. This might be rough on him.”

            Aqua chose that moment to step through the Corridor. Roxas blanched upon seeing the person in her arms. “You… weren’t kidding. We’re on the far side of the island, we weren’t sure if there’d be a fireworks show, and we don’t want the people on the main island to notice if there is. Give me a minute before following.” He took off for the door that separated the two halves of the island, explaining what was going on to Xion while he did so.

            Aqua took a deep breath, looking down at a spot on the beach beneath the bridge that connected the sparring area with the island proper. In her mind’s eye, she saw two little boys, unaware of what their future would hold.

            She shifted her grip on Ven and smiled. It wouldn’t be long now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, it's complete!  
> There will be a fic dedicated to changing the Castle back to the Land of Departure. Naminé will be there. It'll be a good time. I mention this in case anyone is wondering why Naminé didn't have any final words or gestures for the Castle. She'll be back, one last time.  
> If you've been following this series for a while, you probably know how this goes, but for everyone who jumped in while LoO was being published, we're now going to move to a "once every two weeks" schedule while standalone fics go up, and then back to once a week for the next big multichapter. There are three standalones coming, all already written. The first is about Lea and company's trip to Radiant Garden, the third is a surprise, but the second is what we've all been waiting for.  
> We're T-minus-four weeks until the big re-bodying, folks. Ven waking up, and Roxas, Xion, and Naminé back to life. Then the fun really begins.  
> One last reminder for anyone who is subscribed only to this fic: you gotta subscribe to the Kingdom Hearts Ψ series in order to see the next work. I have no idea if you are already or not, but I figured I'd mention it, just to be safe.  
> I would also like to thank everyone who left kudos, commented, or even just showed up to read and lurk. It's thanks to all of you that I'm having such a good time writing, and I can't wait to show you what I have in store.  
> Y'know, at least, until KHIII comes out and tosses my stuff even _further_ out of the window. Ah well. Inevitable at this point.  
>  Now, I'm off to go kick Kefka in the multicoloured balls. Later!


End file.
